Sun, Sun, Sun (Here It Comes)
by angellwings
Summary: Wyatt had long since stopped trying to find any of his Jessica in the current Jessica. They were too different and this Jessica had been with Rittenhouse too long. Even if she did decide to leave Rittenhouse there was no way he could trust her. She had lied to him one too many times. There was one lie in particular that he would never forgive her for. UPDATED WITH A PART 2.
1. Sun, Sun, Sun (Here it Comes)

**A/N:** So, I know I haven't posted in a while guys. I'm so sorry about that but the Renew Timeless stuff on twitter has just taken so much out of me. I cannot believe we haven't heard anything yet! This is getting ridiculous. Hopefully this makes up for my lack of posting and for our current renewal limbo at least a little. This is a MONSTER. If you thought Leave Me was huge...well this is about 10k words longer than Leave Me. Sorry? My bad?

Shout out to the Angst Brigade for helping me with this INSANITY. They were my morale and my proofreaders and my sounding boards and just in general AMAZING. You ladies are the best and I would not have written this without your yelling and screaming.

Happy reading! (sorry, you're gonna be here a while.)

angellwings

* * *

 _Sun, Sun, Sun (Here it Comes)_

 _By angellwings_

* * *

 _i. a long cold lonely winter_

* * *

It was nearly three years after almost losing Rufus and they were still fighting Rittenhouse. Though, not the whole organization. Emma and Jessica had gone on a campaign to eliminate all "legacy" members of Rittenhouse. The bloodlines Rittenhouse once prided themselves on were all but gone. As far as they knew there were only three members of the bloodlines left. Lucy, Ben, and Noah. Both Ben and Noah were in prison and unlikely allies for the Time Team but they proved useful. The current status of their war with Rittenhouse was evenly matched. They lost as many as they won.

Wyatt had long since stopped trying to find any of his Jessica in the current Jessica. They were too different and this Jessica had been with Rittenhouse too long. Even if she did decide to leave Rittenhouse there was no way he could trust her. She had lied to him one too many times. There was one lie in particular that he would never forgive her for.

She made him think he was going to be a father. He knew he should be relieved that Rittenhouse didn't have their hands on his kid but all he could think about was the child he and Jessica didn't have. The life that he thought he would have a chance to save. His father was a bastard and Wyatt always thought that when he had his chance to be a father he wouldn't let history repeat itself.

But it had been three years and Jessica never once mentioned their "child" in all their scuffles. If she had a life to hold over his head, wouldn't she use it? She manipulated him before and created such a guilt in him that he had been blind to the truth. Why wouldn't she have used their child to do the same? No, the only possibility was that the child never existed and it was a way to save her own ass. It kept him protecting her. It kept her _alive_.

With things with Rittenhouse on a clear long term path now, Christopher was helping them figure out how they could lead something resembling a normal life. They couldn't be trapped in this bunker forever. Neither could Christopher. She had started training someone to help lighten her workload so she could enjoy more time with her family.

Today, was the day they met their new Department of Homeland Security handler. This agent and Christopher would work in shifts. His thoughts were still on Jessica and the lies she'd fed him as Lucy sat down at the table next to him.

She placed her hand on his and squeezed with an encouraging smile.

They were all gathering together to be formally introduced to the new member of the team. The last time someone new had been introduced to the bunker, it hadn't ended so well. But Christopher assured them this new agent had been rigorously vetted.

"You okay?" Lucy asked.

He gave her a small smile and leaned across the distance to kiss her temple. "I'm fine."

Lucy scoffed "You know we all say that when we're lying, don't you? Your fine is totally transparent."

He sighed and put his arm around the back of her chair to pull it closer to his. "I was just thinking about the last time a new person entered the Bunker."

She turned in her chair and brought her left hand up to gently caress his cheek. He could feel the cool platinum of her engagement ring against his skin and it did wonders for his guilt weary heart. It had taken some time but he had earned another chance with Lucy Preston and he wasn't wasting it.

"Wyatt," Lucy told him softly as her understanding brown eyes met his. "You have to let that go. I have. Rufus has. _We all have_. All of us but you."

He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. "I know. I just think sometimes...her mission was to take all of us out, Lucy. She could have-at any point she could have acted on that mission and I would have lost everyone I care about. Try as I might to move on from that I can't. Just like I can't imagine what I would do if I ever lost _you_ or anyone else that shares this underground hell hole with us."

"You didn't lose any of us," She replied. "We're all still here. Even if we had to time travel with our future selves to make that happen." She gave him a small grin and then leaned in to press her lips to his in a soft kiss. "Enjoy what we have right now, Wyatt, and let everything else go. The past is just that, _the past_. You know, except when we time travel, I guess."

He chuckled and kissed her again. "Right, except then."

"Oh, come on," Rufus said as he sat down across from them with a sigh. "You guys have a room for that now, you know."

"I think they're cute," Jiya said as she smacked Rufus's shoulder. "Leave them alone."

Flynn approached the table and turned one of the chairs around backwards before seating himself next to Lucy. "Do I really have to be here? Does it matter if we formally meet this person or not?"

"What else do you have to do, exactly?" Wyatt asked with a roll of his eyes.

Flynn opened his mouth to reply when Agent Christopher appeared at the table. "Oh good, the gang's all here."

She motioned behind her as a blonde blue eyed woman in a crisp, pressed pantsuit joined her. She looked uncomfortable in the outfit, like it wasn't her preferred choice, and shifted her weight from foot to foot as she stood next to Agent Christopher. She had her weapon holstered on her hip and her arms crossed over her chest as her eyes scanned each person in the room.

"This is Agent Olivia Smith," Christopher said as she motioned to the younger woman. "If I am not here she will be or if Homeland Security needs a presence in the Lifeboat then she will accompany you."

"Wait," Lucy said with a furrowed brow. "She's traveling with us?"

"Only if necessary," Agent Smith answered. "Which I don't anticipate will be very often."

Rufus grinned at her. "So, you're... _Agent Smith_. Was there a glitch in _The Matrix_?"

"Funny," Agent Smith said as she rolled her eyes at him. "Never heard that one before."

"Great, we have a new babysitter. Nice to meet you. Can I go now?" Flynn asked with a huff.

Agent Smith quirked a brow at him. "What else do you have to do, exactly? You're trapped in a tin can and also classified as a terrorist by the US government."

The question was phrased exactly how Wyatt had phrased it earlier and when Flynn opened his mouth to reply Agent Smith waved him off.

"Never mind," she said dismissively. "I don't want to know and I really don't care. Leave if you want. I'm not here to protect _you_ , Mr. Flynn. I'm here to protect _them,_ " she said as she motioned to Rufus, Lucy, Jiya, Mason, and himself. "And to make sure _you_ stay detained."

Wyatt smirked at her. Yeah, okay, she might be fun to have around.

Flynn scoffed and stormed away toward his room. Lucy looked up at the newcomer with an apologetic glance.

"He's really not so bad," Lucy told her. "He's very effective on a mission."

The blonde chuckled dryly and nodded. "I appreciate your opinion, Professor Preston, but I've read his file. He's a psychopath and a necessary ally. I have no need to know him beyond that." She paused for a thoughtful moment and then continued. "Also I just don't like him. Can't explain it, but I don't."

"I can explain it," Wyatt supplied. "He's a terrorist who's tried to kill Lucy, Rufus, and myself more times that I can count. That's all the reason I need." Lucy elbowed him lightly and he let out a tired sigh. "But he has come through in the clutch on more than a few missions."

Rufus nodded his agreement. "And sometimes having him Flynn it up on missions can come in handy."

"Flynn it up?" Agent Smith asked with a smirk.

Wyatt's brow furrowed as she smirked and her eyes shined in amusement. Something about her seemed familiar. He didn't know what it was or why, but it almost felt like he knew her.

"It's this thing Rufus made up to describe Flynn's tendency to shoot first and cause chaos," Jiya told her.

"Chaos, right, like there's not enough of that involved in time travel as it is?" Agent Christopher asked with a sigh.

Agent Smith shrugged. "I don't know, Agent Christopher, it's been my experience that every mission is chaos. Things always get messy. There would be chaos even without someone there to Flynn it up." Agent Smith paused and then gave Rufus a questioning glance. "Did I use that right?"

"Perfect," Rufus replied with a grin.

The longer she talked, the more he felt he knew her. But how? She looked to be in her late thirties. She didn't carry herself like someone who might have served so it couldn't be through the Army. The only Homeland Security agent he'd ever worked with was Agent Christopher so it couldn't be anything to do with that either. What was it?

"How did you get this assignment?" Wyatt asked curiously.

"Agent Christopher recruited me," she replied. "She's known me since I was a kid and she said she needed someone trustworthy so here I am. Besides," she said as she slid her gaze from Wyatt to Rufus. "Never send a human to do a machine's job."

She smirked at Rufus and winked at Jiya with an air of confidence and swagger that he knew well. He used it to hide his baggage, his past. It seemed Agent Smith had picked up the same habit.

Rufus grinned between Agent Smith and Jiya before he spoke again. "Did she just confirm that we're actually living in _The Matrix_? And that she's actually Agent Smith?"

"This is all I'm going to think about now when we talk to you," Lucy said with a sigh and a playful roll of her eyes.

"Well, we can't have that now, can we, ma'am?" Agent Smith asked her with an amused smile.

Lucy tensed in her seat next to him for a split second and he saw a look of recognition cross her eyes. Did she feel the pull of familiarity too?

"How about you guys call me Liv?" She asked. She gave Agent Christopher an apologetic look. "I know it's not protocol but they're stuck in this hell hole and fighting an evil time traveling cult. I feel like protocol isn't the most important thing right now."

Agent Christopher chuckled at her. "What they call you is up to you. Besides, when have you ever followed protocol?"

"Touche," the agent answered with a laugh. "Not my fault protocol sometimes gets in the way of actually doing the job."

Connor grinned and motioned to Wyatt. "You sound like the Master Sergeant. He's not exactly a fan of protocol either."

Wyatt lifted a shoulder carelessly. "Guilty as charged."

"So, _Liv_ ," Jiya asked. "Are you from around here?"

"No, I grew up in Maryland, close to DC," Liv answered. "Moved out here after Agent Christopher begged me to come work for her and Homeland. Prior to that I was Secret Service and then FBI."

Liv looked to be close to his and Lucy's age, late thirties or early forties. Working for those three organizations and still being so young was impressive.

"I didn't _beg_ you," Agent Christopher said with an amused grin.

"Pretty sure you did. There was more than one please and definitely more than one phone call involved in the asking. I think that qualifies as begging," Liv replied with a lopsided grin. "I mean I can't blame you for wanting to work with the best."

Wyatt chuckled at her and gave her a challenging look. "Someone's confident."

"Well, hell, I worked hard for this confidence. Might as well show it off."

He laughed and nodded his agreement. Yeah, they were all going to get along just fine. He could tell. Something about her just seemed to immediately click within the group.

The familiar feeling still nagged at him, though, he had to know her from somewhere.

* * *

Jiya had been spending a lot of time with Liv lately. Liv and Christopher usually switched shifts around five in the afternoon. After Jessica took advantage of the early morning hours to steal the Lifeboat, Christopher wanted to make sure there was someone field trained watching the Lifeboat and the team at all times. Now it seemed that was Liv's job. That meant during any late night missions, Jiya and Connor waited with Liv. She was quiet but her presence felt strangely comforting.

She dressed more casually after that first day. More casually than Agent Christopher ever had. She wore jeans, combat boots, and a loose button up blouse nearly every day. Her gun stayed holstered to the belt on her waist at all times and she had a swagger that oozed strength.

Like now for example, while she was lounging in a chair with her feet propped up on the desk next to Jiya's monitor.

Jiya sighed and gave her a scolding glance. "Could you not put your feet up next to the equipment?"

Liv immediately sat up and placed her boots on the ground. "Oh, right, sorry." She looked around the silo and cleared her throat. "So, how long are they usually gone on these missions?"

"It varies. I think the shortest ever was eight hours and the longest was three days," Jiya told her as she tried her best not to remember her team being stranded in 1754.

Liv nodded slowly. "So, you could be here a while then?"

"Connor and I switch off if it takes too long," Jiya told her.

Liv's blue eyes flicked to hers and Jiya could feel them quickly assessing her in a way that felt eerily familiar. "Can you really rest though if you don't know how they are? I don't think I would be able to. Not if I were as close to all of them as you are."

Jiya smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "I might get a little help from Jack Daniels sometimes."

"Ah, yes, Jack and I are old friends," Liv said with a laugh. "In fact, I think we should probably track down Jack right now, don't you?"

"You're working," Jiya said with a furrowed brow. "Aren't their rules about that?"

"Can the usual rules really apply when it comes to time travel?" Liv asked her. "Besides, I'm not trying to get you wasted, Marri. I'm just thinking of one drink. What'll it hurt?"

"As long as we don't end up toasting to oblivion," Jiya answered with a chuckle.

"What?" Liv asked with a furrowed brow.

"Just something Connor said while drunk once," she told her with a smirk.

"Ah, well I try to avoid oblivion whenever possible," Liv said with a light laugh. "Where do you guys stash the hard stuff?"

She didn't wait for Jiya to answer. She was already in the kitchen as Jiya began to call out the answer. But Liv beat her to it.

"Found it," Liv yelled. "Do you take it on the rocks or neat?"

"Doesn't matter," Jiya answered.

A few moments later Liv returned with two glasses of whiskey and put one down in front of Jiya.

"So," Liv said after taking a sip. "How did you get involved in all of this?" She motioned around the silo and ran a hand through her hair.

Jiya had a fleeting thought they had done this before. She knew they hadn't but she couldn't shake the sense of deja vu. "Mason recruited me on the time travel project just before the Mothership was stolen."

Liv nodded. "How did you go from on the Mason Industries payroll to trapped in this hellhole?"

"My mad skills," Jiya answered with a smirk.

Liv laughed and nodded. "I believe it."

"What about you?" Jiya asked. "You said you've known Christopher since you were a kid?"

Liv shifted nervously and looked down at the glass in her hand as she answered. "Yeah, she kinda took me under her wing. Kept me busy and out of trouble. An idle Liv is a troublemaking Liv."

"Trouble, huh?" Jiya asked. "What kind of trouble?"

"Let's just say I've historically had a problem with authority figures and I tended to act out if I didn't find a suitable distraction," Liv said with a shrug. She avoided looking at Jiya as she took another sip of her whiskey. "Denise—Agent Christopher, I mean, was the only good role model I had. She's tough but, I don't know, she was the first person to expect me to do something... _positive_ with my life. No one else really gave a shit." Liv paused thoughtfully and took a deep breath. She shook her head as if she were shaking her past away and then smiled sheepishly at Jiya. "I have no idea why I just told you that. I don't normally—well, I'm not usually that talkative." She set the glass aside and cleared her throat. "Must be the Jack."

"No worries," Jiya told her with a warm smile. "We're a family here and, trust me, we all have our fair share of baggage. Anytime you want to talk. I'm here."

"A family, huh?" Liv asked her with a smile that didn't reach her cobalt blue eyes. "Must be nice. Never really had one of those, myself."

"You've got one now," Jiya said as she held up her whiskey glass. "If you want one." She paused and then gave Liv a questioning look. "To family?"

Liv gave her a considering stare for a long moment before she smirked slowly and nodded. She tapped her glass against Jiya's briefly and nodded. "To family."

They shared a small smile for a moment before Liv glanced down at her watch. "You guys get cable down here?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"There's a _Vanderpump Rules_ marathon tonight and seeing as we're just sitting here waiting I thought I might try and catch an episode or two," Liv said with a bashful grin. "It's my guilty pleasure show."

Jiya blinked at her for several moments and as the silence engulfed them she realized why this moment seemed so familiar. "You like _Vanderpump Rules_?"

"Unfortunately," Liv answered with a chuckle. "I try not to but it sucks me in every time."

"Yeah, yeah me too."

"Oh, yeah?" Liv asked. "Wanna join me?"

The hair, the grin, the confidence. It all reminded her of just one person. The last person she'd sat up with drinking whiskey and watching trashy TV.

Jiya swallowed thickly and downed the rest of her whiskey. "You know, I think I'll have to take a rain check."

"You sure?" Liv asked with an easy smile. "You've been staring at this monitor for a while already."

"I'm sure. I should probably run some calibrations while everything's quiet anyway," Jiya answered as she forced a shaky smile.

"Okay, well suit yourself. I'll be parked in front of the TV if you change your mind," Liv told her with a wink as she picked up her glass and headed for the common area.

As soon as Liv was out of sight, Jiya fisted her shaking hands and breathed deeply. What the hell was that? There was no reason for her to feel so shaken. Liv wasn't Jessica. She knew that. Agent Christopher knew Liv well and had even vetted her. But Jiya couldn't shake the image of Jessica sharing popcorn and alcohol with her as they binged bad television on the uncomfortable common room couch.

Maybe it was just the mention of _Vanderpump Rules_. That had to be it. She cursed and huffed. If that was it though then she had another thing to never forgive Jessica Logan for. How dare she ruin a perfectly good guilty pleasure?

* * *

It happened sooner than any of them expected. Two weeks after Liv officially joined the team, she was filling an empty seat in the Lifeboat.

Wyatt was injured. Nothing major but enough to make him a liability in the field. He had sprained his ankle during a brawl on the mission the day before and was now forced to stay off of his feet. When the alarm sounded Rufus and Lucy immediately looked uncomfortable. They didn't like traveling without each other. It irked Flynn that this was always such an issue but he had learned to deal with it.

"Liv, looks like you're on," Christopher ordered.

"Sweet," Liv answered with a smirk. "What year are we going to? Should I bring my thigh holster?"

Wyatt grimaced and shifted his weight in a clear sign that he was, for some reason, uncomfortable with her question.

"1926," Lucy answered. "A thigh holster would probably be a good idea."

"Nice, let me just grab it out of my car," Liv said as she sprinted toward the Bunker exit.

"Something wrong, Master Sergeant?" Flynn asked him with a grin.

"Not as long as you bring the three of them back in one piece," Wyatt answered through a clenched jaw.

Flynn raised a brow at that. The _three_ of them? Agent Smith's safety was equal to Rufus and Lucy's? When had that begun?

"I think Agent Smith can handle herself. She is highly trained, after all," Flynn told him with a smirk.

For a moment, Wyatt looked as if he were going to respond and then Liv came back into the room, with an eager gleam in her eyes. Effectively, cutting off anything Wyatt had planned to say.

"We ready or what?" She asked. "I've been dying to kick some Rittenhouse ass since Agent Christopher first briefed me on the mission."

Rufus and Lucy shared an amused look and led the way to the Lifeboat. Flynn glanced back as he stepped inside last and was surprised by the intensely anxious look on Wyatt Logan's face. He'd been left behind on missions before but Flynn had never seen that particular expression on the younger man's face. It was almost an anguished level of worry.

Flynn had seen a similar look on his own face the first day he dropped Iris off at daycare. That revelation left Flynn even more confused. It didn't make sense.

Flynn and Lucy took their usual seats and let Liv take what was usually Wyatt's seat. Liv buckled herself in with ease, even having never done it before. Lucy gave her an amazed, nearly jealous glance before buckling herself in and Flynn chuckled lightly.

"Just so you know," Rufus said as he turned slightly to face Liv. "The ride can cause intense motion sickness."

"I'll be fine," Liv replied. "But thanks for the heads up."

Lucy grinned at her in amusement. "Let's go, Rufus. You heard her. She'll be fine."

One final flip of a switch and Lifeboat was shaking and groaning and tossing them around. The pull always felt as if he were being ripped apart. When it stopped Liv looked pale and drawn.

"Still fine?" Lucy asked in an overly friendly tone.

"Yep, I'm good," Liv said stiffly. "I think I just need some air." She motioned to the hatch and glanced at Rufus pointedly.

He smirked and opened the hatch. The three of them watched as Liv hastily undid her seatbelt and crawled clumsily out of the Lifeboat.

As Flynn stepped down he spotted her doubled over and heaving in the woods next to the their landing spot. She straightened after a moment and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. When she stood she breathed heavily for a long moment.

"You good?" Rufus asked with a grin.

"Peachy," she answered sarcastically. "What now?"

"Steal some clothes, get a car," Rufus answered.

"Ah, great. Shoplifting is my specialty," Liv said with a smirk. "The results of a misspent youth."

Flynn recognized that insufferable smirk. He had seen it pointed at him enough times to have it burned into his memory. Wyatt Logan wasn't here, but it seemed some part of him was.

"So, you're a klepto?" Rufus asked teasingly. "That's your thing?"

"One of them," Liv answered with a chuckle. "I'm a woman of many talents."

"And apparently a troubled past," Flynn commented with an arched eyebrow. "Misspent youth?"

"Yeah," she answered as she clicked her tongue in irritation and glared at him. "I was a punk, and yet _even I_ didn't grow up to be a terrorist. Go figure."

"I did what I had to do," Flynn told her with a glare of his own.

She laughed bitterly as they began to walk away from the Lifeboat. "Yeah, I've read the mission reports, Flynn. You murdered your way through time and majority of the people you murdered were innocent. Not to mention, if it weren't for the Professor, you would have murdered a _child_. That goes beyond doing what you have to do. Killing innocents just means you were _waiting_ for an excuse - a cause - to justify becoming who you _really_ are. I used to profile people just like you every damn day when I worked for the FBI. We called them serial killers. So, I don't trust you as far as I can throw you, Mr. Flynn." She stopped walking and turned to face him with a grin and an intimidating glare. "All I need is for you to give me one reason, _just one_ , to shoot you. I won't waste it. _Trust me_."

She meant every word and he had no doubt she would follow through if she felt it was necessary. He knew then Wyatt Logan did not need to worry about Olivia Smith. She could fight her own battles and probably had been from a young age.

"Oh, I know you wouldn't waste the opportunity, Agent Smith. But I don't think it's just _me_ you don't trust," Flynn told her as he shrugged off her threat and continued to follow after Lucy and Rufus. "I think you don't trust anyone. I think you've been alone for too long and trust is too difficult. Believe it or not, I can relate."

"You can cut out the Jedi mind tricks, Flynn. I'm not weak minded," Liv told him with a roll of her eyes. "Save it for the cell mates you'll have once we put down Rittenhouse and send you back to prison."

The last person to refer to his eloquence as a Jedi mind trick was Wyatt Logan. Suspicion and confusion flared again. There was a symmetry to Olivia and Wyatt. They had a commonality that could not be ignored. Though, what that was he couldn't quite discern. They had similarities in appearance and personality. But that could be coincidental.

Given their luck, the reasoning of a coincidence seemed highly unlikely. He doubted he would be getting any more clues from her. She was pointedly ignoring him as they walked side by side.

"Alright, then we will continue on in awkward silence," Flynn said with an amused grin.

"Fine by me," Liv replied through gritted teeth.

And again, he was reminded of Wyatt and the threat the younger man sneered at him just before they left for this particular mission. Just where had Olivia Smith come from? And why did she seem so familiar?

* * *

Wyatt wasn't sure why he felt uneasy about this particular mission. Lucy and Rufus had gone on missions without him before. In fact, he should feel less anxious about this mission because they had Liv with them. Liv who shared his feelings about Garcia Flynn and would be as wary of the terrorist as Wyatt would himself.

But somehow, Liv's presence made him all the more anxious. Sometime after her first week with the team they'd begun sparring together. She was good. Just as good as him. He knew she could take care of herself. Especially after hearing some of her stories.

How the hell she had survived to adulthood he would never know. She must have had some kind of guardian angel. He was seated in the common area with a beer, trying his best not to think about his team running around 1926 without him, when Denise Christopher sat down next to him.

"You seem more worried than usual, Wyatt," Denise said with a grin. "And that's saying a lot."

"You know, it's always nerve wracking when we put a new person in the field," he said as he tried to seem as careless as possible.

"Agent Smith is very capable. She's used to blending in," Denise said with a chuckle. "They'll be fine."

Wyatt turned to her with a furrowed brow. "What do you mean?"

"She was one of the FBI's favorite undercover operatives," Denise told him as she pulled her knitting from her bag. "Well, one of _my_ favorite undercover operatives. She's very experienced at adapting to survive." Denise paused but when it was clear his worry hadn't lessened she grinned and continued. "I sent her undercover as a bartender once, gave her a week to prepare for it. She had a bartender boyfriend of hers teach her how to make every drink he knew. She learned it all with two days to spare, even learned how do some of those bottle tossing tricks. She's a fast learner. Time travel won't throw her for long."

"Did she bust whoever you were after?" Wyatt asked with a curious grin as a confusing sense of pride bubbled up in his chest.

"Oh yeah, she took a beer bottle shiv to the shoulder during the bust and still ended up subduing the guy," Denise told him with a laugh. "Scared me to death, but she was fine. She, um - what's that saying? - oh yes, she takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Always has, that girl. She never has it easy but she always overcomes. Kinda reminds me of somebody else I know."

Wyatt grinned at her and shook his head as she gave him a pointed look. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said with a scoff.

"Sure, you don't," Denise said with a chuckle. "One of the reasons I worked so hard to recruit her was that I knew the two of you would hit it off and I thought having back up you trusted would make things easier for you. But the look on your face when I first sat down was not _easier_ by any definition."

He gave Denise a long a wary glance as he debated whether to voice his worry. He sighed and decided, somehow, she would understand.

"She's reckless."

Denise grinned and nodded. "Yes she is. Quick tempered, too. But she's learned the art of control over time. She's reckless but not thoughtless."

"What if she decides to be a hero?" He asked with a furrowed brow. "You know, cowboy stuff?"

"What, like bringing grenades to the Alamo?" Denise asked him with a knowing smile.

He rolled his eyes and bit back a grin. "I'm serious."

"I know, you are. Look, I've known Liv since she was eleven years old. I have worried over her for years, but there are two things Liv has always done better than anyone else. Those two things ease my fears and keep me calm."

"And those two things are?" Wyatt asked before taking a sip of his beer.

"Protect and Survive," Denise replied. "She won't let anything happen to Rufus or Lucy. She won't play reckless or be a cowboy with their lives on the line. You don't have to worry about her protecting them as you would. She's a natural protector. She'll bring them home or die trying."

At her last sentence, a realization hit him. More like a cold surge of terror hit him that _made him_ realize something. He wasn't worried about her abandoning Lucy and Rufus with some act of cowboy heroics. No, he was worried about whether or not she would _survive_ an act of cowboy heroics.

What was going on? Since she walked into the bunker two weeks ago Agent Olivia Smith had seemed strangely familiar. He barely knew anything about her but he _felt_ as though he knew everything about her. His protective nature had latched onto her as strongly as it had latched onto Lucy, Rufus, or Jiya. Only it had latched on _instantaneously_. What did that mean? Who was she and how did he know her? Because he had to have met her before. There was no other explanation.

He was going to have to do some investigating. He had questions that he needed answered. His mind thought back through everything Agent Christopher disclosed and he felt that confusing sense of pride again as he recalled her bar story. He chuckled and grinned before looking over at Denise again.

"She really took a beer bottle shiv to the shoulder and kept fighting?" Wyatt asked her.

Denise smiled brightly with the same pride he felt and nodded. "She still has the scar."

The phrase, 'that's my girl' ran across his mind and found its was to the very tip of his tongue before he managed to catch it.

... _what the hell?_

* * *

 _ii. smiles returning to the faces_

* * *

Mason was really trying not to stare. He was certain the two didn't even realize what they were doing.

Agent Smith had joined them for dinner. At first, Mason didn't notice anything strange. All seemed normal until he looked up from his own container of Chinese take out and noticed _it._

What was _it_ , you ask?

Wyatt Logan has always, for as long as Connor Mason knew him, held his chopsticks incorrectly. He managed to make them work but the way he held them was clumsy at best. Mason always had this thought with a thrill of superiority because maybe he wasn't a hero with a chiseled stubbled jaw but at least he would never embarrass himself while eating with chopsticks. Mason prayed that the Master Sergeant was never sent to China for a mission and that he would never have to let anyone else see how awkwardly he held chopsticks.

It was unique to Wyatt Logan and would surely lead to embarrassment.

Or so he had always thought but apparently he was wrong. Because sitting next to Wyatt at the dinner table was Agent Olivia Smith and she was holding her chopsticks in the _exact same_ awkward position as the soldier sitting on her right.

"Olivia," Connor called across the table with a curious smile. "Where did you learn to hold your chopsticks like that?"

"Learn?" She asked with a scoff. "I didn't learn anything. This is just the only way I can get them to actually pick up food."

Lucy's eyes fell to Olivia's hands at the question, from her seat next to Connor and across from Wyatt. Mason watched her eyes move back and forth between Olivia and Wyatt before he heard her mutter a quiet, " _oh my god_ " under her breath.

So, he wasn't the only one to notice it seemed.

Lucy and Connor shared a surprised and awkward glance before deciding to pretend they hadn't noticed anything strange at all.

Coincidence. It was pure coincidence.

What else could it be?

* * *

This whole situation was weird. Liv Smith knew this. Time Travel was real. Hell, she'd seen the 1920s with her own eyes. There was a secret cult out to manipulate history to their own ends and they were led by a bitch of a redhead that she hadn't been able to get a clean shot on. There was a group of geniuses, heroes, and one criminal living in a secret missile silo. One that she spent more overnight shifts in than she could count at this point.

But the _weirdest_ thing about all of it was Wyatt Logan.

There was a strange pull that she couldn't explain. They got on well, immediately. Not only that but his skills were on par with hers so that made him the ideal sparring partner. He could match her blow for blow. But beyond the obvious, she felt like she could talk to him about things she generally didn't talk about. She was going to have to be more cautious around him lest she spill her pathetic life story.

Right now, she was watching him train Lucy. Lucy was nearly three years into her training and already she was knowledgeable on an advanced level. She hadn't quite reached Wyatt's level yet but Professor Preston learned fast, it seemed. In fact, at the end of their current match she actually had Wyatt pinned to the mat. The match ended but neither person moved and Liv grinned knowingly. She had never seen two people more completely in love with every part of each other than Lucy and Wyatt.

Then again, she hadn't witnessed much real love in her lifetime period.

She cleared her throat with a smirk. "You two gonna keep lying on the mat all night or—"

At the sound of her voice, Lucy jumped up as if startled and stood quickly. Wyatt huffed and reluctantly joined her.

"Sorry," Liv said with chuckle. "Didn't mean to interrupt the lovebirds."

"Sure you didn't," Wyatt said with a teasing grin and a roll of his eyes. "No one in this place ever does."

She smirked and ignored him before turning to Lucy. "Looking good, Professor. Another few months and you might outgrow your teacher."

Lucy snorted derisively and shook her head. "Yeah, right. Good one."

Liv noticed Wyatt's face take on a small scolding glare. He looked ready to contradict Lucy but Liv beat him to it.

"I'm serious," Liv told her. "You learn fast. Must be because of that huge brain of yours. Seriously, it's impressive how you remember all those dates and facts and events. It makes sense that you would be able to pick up on hand to hand just as quickly as you can recite the Gettysburg Address or whatever. Believe me, learning as quickly as you have takes someone with a knack for it. Tried to teach one of my foster brothers how to fight while we were in high school, so he could protect himself from the bullies, and it quickly proved impossible. I ended up basically following him around like private security detail," Liv admitted with a nostalgic smile. A moment later she realized just what she had told them and the nostalgia was replaced by embarrassment. "You know, I think I'm going to go check in with Agent Christopher. It's almost time for our shift change."

She started to go but felt Wyatt's hand on her shoulder, halting her movement.

"Hey, you don't have to go," he said softly as she reluctantly turned back around to face him. "We all have our scars, Liv. I mean, my dad was a world class son of a bitch. I ran away at fifteen and never looked back."

Lucy nodded and then gave her a sympathetic smile. "And my mother was the leader of a secret cult and tried to program me to join them. If there's ever anyone who understands a twisted situation, it's us."

"Did those guys ever leave your brother alone?" Wyatt asked cautiously.

He debated whether or not he should ask. She understood that. She was questioning whether or not she should answer.

"Yeah, they did. But only after I pounded the alpha male's face in. I got a three day suspension and moved to a new home as punishment," she answered as she tried to shrug carelessly. "The usual. It was worth it though if it meant they stopped targeting my brother."

An awkward silence descended on them as Wyatt and Lucy exchanged a look of some kind. The nonverbal communication between these two was almost freaky. If she didn't know any better she would think they were telepathic.

"So, you grew up in the foster system?" Lucy asked.

Ah, that's what caused the awkwardness. Made sense. Most people didn't know what to do with that.

Liv nodded reluctantly. "Got dumped on the front stoop of a children's home when I was a toddler, then bounced around from home to home, jackass foster parents to jackass foster parents, right up until the day I turned 18." She met Wyatt's eyes with a rueful grin before she repeated his earlier words back to him. "Ran away to college and never looked back."

"College?" Lucy asked with an intrigued glance. "What did you study?"

"Administration of Justice at University of The District of Columbia. I couldn't join the DC police force until I was 21 so I had to do something," she answered. "I've learned it's best to keep myself busy."

Wyatt chuckled dryly and nodded. "Sounds familiar. The last time I was idle for a stretch did not end well for me."

"An idle Liv tends to result in a fist fight or two," Liv admitted with a smirk.

Wyatt met her smirk with one of his own and pointed to himself before he replied, "Car chases across the Mexican border."

Liv's eyes widened and she laughed. "Damn, Logan. Okay, you win. That's definitely more trouble than a bar brawl."

Lucy rolled her eyes at both of them and shook her head with a playful grin. "I am dreading the day we have _both_ of you on a mission. I have enough trouble with one reckless hothead. I don't need two."

Liv and Wyatt shared knowing grins before Wyatt placed a quick kiss to Lucy's temple. "Whatever gets the job done, babydoll."

"Okay, go ahead but let's see if I'll be speaking to you when we get home, sweetheart," Lucy said with a teasing glare.

He chuckled. "That's an empty threat and we both know it. Who else would you lecture about history if you weren't speaking to me?"

That confounded her for a brief moment before she quirked a brow at him and shrugged. "Rufus or...I don't know maybe Flynn."

The mischievous sparkle in Lucy's eyes almost made Liv laugh out loud. That woman knew exactly what she was doing.

Wyatt's eyes narrowed and he huffed before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his side. "Oh hell no."

"Then I suppose you'll have to watch just how _reckless_ and _hot headed_ you decide to be, won't you?"

Liv laughed lightly and grinned as she met Wyatt's eyes with a shrug. "I think she's got you there, man."

"She always does and she knows it," Wyatt said with an affectionate smile and a roll of his eyes.

Lucy beamed up at him with a proud smile and placed a kiss to his cheek. "He's too much fun to tease."

Joy and contentment radiated off of Lucy and Wyatt as they fired playful banter back and forth and Liv couldn't imagine any couple being happier while trapped underground fighting a war they couldn't seem to win. She read the reports from their previous missions and she knew at one point Wyatt had been married to someone else but, looking at the couple in front of her right now, she _knew_ he could not have seemed as _complete_ with any other woman as he did with Lucy.

It gave her hope for her own heart one day. They made her believe it was possible to find a family when you weren't even sure you were worthy of one. And, hell, maybe she already found one.

* * *

Christopher needed Flynn and Wyatt for a top secret operation. No one but Liv knew exactly what but they all figure it had something to do with gathering evidence against Rittenhouse. The last time Wyatt had been held back from a mission he had single handedly raided their headquarters. Liv kept mum on the subject but she was able to assure Lucy that Wyatt wouldn't be going anywhere alone.

In place of Flynn and Wyatt, Christopher sent Liv and Jiya and let Lucy take her gun for the first time. Agent Christopher refused to let her take it on missions until Lucy was able to meet Homeland Security's marksmanship standards. She finally did and with them one gun short, Christopher agreed now was the time.

Liv bought her a thigh holster to celebrate. It wasn't anything customized or sexy like Liv's brown leather and rose detailed holster.

"Baby steps, Professor," Liv told her with a smirk as she handed her the standard issue black holster. "Besides, I think I'll leave the sexy kind of holster purchases to Logan."

And now they were running around New York in 1899, guns drawn chasing Jessica Logan down an alley. Liv stopped at the alley's entrance and motioned for Lucy to take cover behind a stack of empty wooden crates. Lucy didn't question it, even though she was more than capable of following. She wasn't the same historian who started these missions five years ago. But for some reason trust in Liv was automatic. It was already as unshakable as her trust in Wyatt and, for the life of her, Lucy couldn't explain it.

Jessica appeared from around the corner and both she and Liv had their guns trained on each other in an instant. Lucy waited for the sound of gunfire but it never came. When she peeked around the corner she found the women locked in conflicted gazes. Guns aimed at each other's chests but both women looked pained and confused.

Lucy's appearance broke the spell it seemed because the minute Jessica saw her she shifted her aim and a bullet flew past her into one of the shipping crates. That seemed to send Liv into action. She kicked out and knocked Jessica's gun from her hand before connecting a punch to the other woman's jaw. Jessica stumbled back into the brick wall of the alley, landed a kick to Liv's stomach and then took off toward Lucy.

As she reached Lucy, a shot rang out and Jessica stumbled forward. She fell to her knees and brought a hand to her arm.

"Go, Lucy," Liv said through a tense jaw. "Now."

Lucy didn't need to be told twice. She could handle herself but something in Liv's tone made her instinctively obey. Lucy waited on the street, far enough away to not be seen but close enough to still hear everything.

"It seems the new girls a crap shot," Jessica said in a strained but taunting voice.

Liv chuckled dryly. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. Trust me."

"Why wouldn't you want to kill me? Isn't your boss after my head? This shot to my arm should have been a kill shot and we both know it."

"Yeah, well, not exactly like you could shoot me either. I'm sure your redheaded Rittenbitch of a boss will love to hear all about that, won't she?" Lucy heard the sounds of a cartridge being unloaded from a gun and the thud of something hitting the dirt before Liv continued. "Consider this a warning. You come after my team again, and I won't be so nice."

"And next time I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your chest."

Liv laughed bitterly. "Good luck with that. People been trying to kill me for years. I just can't seem to die."

A second later, Liv was at her side and pointing down the street to where they were supposed to meet Rufus and Jiya.

"Hopefully, they were more successful than we were," Liv muttered angrily as she stormed off toward a much busier street.

Lucy had barely registered she was there before Liv stomped away. Lucy chased after her and for a fleeting moment Lucy had a memory of chasing an enraged Wyatt just like this on more than one mission. Why her mind was correlating the two she wasn't quite sure. She caught up with her and gently grabbed Liv's arm to force her to stop.

"Hey," Lucy said softly. "You okay? What was that back there? You...you paused."

Liv ducked her head with an apologetic wince and shrugged. "I have no god damn idea. I froze. I don't know, something about her standing there in front of me and her face and her hair-it all looked familiar and I couldn't place it. Still can't." Liv's hands fisted and she ripped off her white lace gloves. They were soiled and shredded to pieces anyway from her fight with Jessica. There was no point in keeping them. "I had the shot and I couldn't take it. I could have put her down, Lucy, but my finger it wouldn't-it wouldn't pull the trigger."

Liv didn't wait for Lucy's response. She pushed ahead through the crowd and Lucy was forced to follow. The look of pain and confusion on Liv's face wasn't unfamiliar to Lucy. The last time she saw that same mix of emotions she'd been watching Wyatt and he had still been under the impression Jessica was pregnant. Lucy's blood boiled briefly and she wished she'd had the presence of mind to take the shot herself. Lucy would never forgive Jessica for all the pain she put Wyatt through and all the lies she made him believe.

It seemed Jessica was somehow playing the same mind games with Liv.

Liv suddenly stopped and turned on Lucy with heated and angry eyes. "Next time. Next time, I'll take the shot. I won't fucking _pause_."

Lucy gave her a sympathetic smile and nodded. "I believe you."

"Good," Liv said with a huff. "Let's get the hell out of here. I gotta get this damn corset off as soon as possible. 1899 sucks ass."

That was the last they spoke of her hesitation for the rest of the trip. When they arrived back home and Christopher asked what happened, Lucy covered for her.

"We caught a glimpse of her," Lucy answered. "Liv managed to put a bullet in her arm, but she was long gone before we could catch up to her."

Liv's eyes met Lucy's in grateful surprise before she nodded her agreement.

"Well, good," Christopher said with a tired sigh. "At least she's wounded. Maybe that will slow her and Emma down for a few days."

Later, Lucy could hear the sounds of Liv taking out her frustrations on Wyatt's sandbag in their makeshift gym area as she made her nightly cup of chamomile tea. The sounds of grunts and growls and unintelligible cursing could be heard by Wyatt and Rufus too as they sat and tried to play checkers. Wyatt turned curiously toward Liv before getting up from the couch and seeking out Lucy.

She felt his hand on the small of her back and she turned to face him with an expectant expression.

"What happened in 1899?" He asked with a worried wrinkle in his brow. "She's been murdering that sandbag for hours now."

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "I don't really know, honestly, but somehow," she paused and gave Wyatt a brief concerned glance as she continued. "Jessica got under her skin. Between you and me, she had a kill shot and she couldn't take it. She's been beating herself up about it ever since."

Wyatt looked thoughtful for a long moment as he absently rubbed the back of his neck. "She couldn't take the shot?"

"Not the kill shot, no. She did end up shooting her in the arm though," Lucy clarified. "She just couldn't kill her."

"Can you take my place in checkers?" Wyatt asked as he turned his head to watch Liv continue to fight with her demons. "I feel like I should try and talk to her."

Lucy leaned up and placed a kiss to Wyatt's stubbled jaw. "Of course," she said with a nod. "Take all the time you need. I'll keep Rufus busy."

Wyatt gave her a small grin and a chuckle before dropping a kiss to her temple. "Thanks."

She watched him approach Liv as she finished making her cup of tea. He stood back at first to watch her as she continued to furiously punch the bag. Lucy could see him analyzing Liv's form and style. The minute he spoke Liv swiveled and as if on instinct threw a punch at him. Wyatt deflected it easily, as if he had expected it, and held Liv's gaze. Lucy couldn't hear what he was saying but Liv's posture slowly relaxed. Liv gave him a half hearted smile as Wyatt took a position behind the bag, holding it steady for her. A moment later, Liv was back to punching the bag but she looked more present and clear headed than she had before.

Wyatt was speaking and Liv was adjusting her stance. Lucy chuckled to herself as she joined Rufus in the living room. He was offering her advice. Of course he was. Liv looked more than ready for the distraction as her eyes narrowed and darkened to a steel blue. She looked and acted so much like Wyatt. Lucy wondered if they realized just _how_ alike they really were.

Probably not.

* * *

Something was up with Jiya.

That was all Rufus knew.

She was snippy and hostile and nothing he did managed to make it any better. He flipped through all the important dates in his head. He hadn't missed her birthday or their anniversary. But something was definitely wrong. She pushed him away all day long and refused to tell him what was bothering her. When he went to bed, she didn't follow. He gave her an hour or two, he lost track of time trying not to worry, before he went back out into the common area to check on her.

He stopped short of the couch at the sight that greeted him. Jiya was passed out with her head in Liv's lap while Liv rubbed slow comforting circles on her back. There were clear mascara tear tracks on Jiya's face as she dozed peacefully. Rufus still had no idea what was wrong. He was glad someone was able to be there for her, but he didn't know what had caused it.

Liv looked every bit the worried older sister as she sat and quietly offered Jiya comfort. She noticed Rufus across the room and smiled kindly at him.

"She's okay," she offered. "She had a tough day."

"I kept trying to get her to talk to me," Rufus told her with a tired sigh.

"She was trying to avoid talking about it," Liv told him. "I had to piss her off to get it out of her."

Rufus gave Liv a curious look. "What was it?"

"It was the anniversary of her dad's passing," Liv said as she absently rubbed another comforting circle across Jiya's back. "If she asks, I didn't tell you that."

"Got it. My lips are sealed," Rufus agreed. Jiya's father was always a sore subject and he'd been careless with that in the past. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to talk to him about it.

"You wanna switch?" Liv asked him. "She'll be much happier to wake up to you than to me. She's probably still pissed at me, at least a little. I had to provoke her pretty hard."

"What did you do?" Rufus asked with a quirked brow.

"She was shutting down. That's not healthy. I've seen what that does to a person up close and personal. So I just started pressing buttons till she exploded," Liv told him with a shrug. "It's not my preferred method but nothing else was working."

Rufus stared at her in surprise for a moment. Being their therapist wasn't her job. She could have stayed out of it, but watching Jiya push everyone away must have worried her. As hard as Liv seemed most days this softness he was seeing now was unexpected. As she waited for Rufus to answer her she pushed Jiya's hair out of her face and gently swept the rest of her long dark hair off her neck.

Her calloused hands moved soothingly and tenderly and he briefly remembered the many times he'd seen Wyatt's hands with the same intention. The memories came unbidden, but there they were. Flashes of him comforting Jiya, Agent Christopher, and, of course, Lucy. Even, occasionally, Wyatt comforting him with a hand on his shoulder or a pat to the back.

Why it was Wyatt he was thinking back on just now he wasn't at all sure. But there it was. Liv and Wyatt shared the same protective instincts and maybe that would explain why Liv seemed to click with the team instantaneously.

The team had already accepted and adjusted to Wyatt so allowing room for someone similar to him was easy.

Rufus crossed the room and he and Liv switched places as seamlessly as they could. Jiya's head settled on his lap and she stirred briefly before falling still again. Both he and Liv breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," Rufus told her as he met Liv's eyes. "You didn't have to do this."

She smiled softly at him and shrugged. "Yeah, I did. I couldn't let her keep going like that. She was going to burn out if she kept it all in. I knew how to help so how could I ignore her? Besides, she told me once that we're a family, all of us, and I'd like to think this is what families do for one another."

Rufus smiled warmly as he nodded. "It is. It is what families do, and you are definitely a part of this one."

The look of gratitude on her face was so intense that Rufus almost had to look away. There were tears shining in her bright blue eyes as she forced her gaze to the floor and ran a barely trembling hand through her hair.

He heard a light sniffle as she looked up but not at him. Her gaze went passed him in the direction of the main silo where he knew the Lifeboat sat empty and quiet.

She let out a watery chuckle before she spoke. "It only took me about forty years to find one. Better late than never, though, huh?"

"I know your life probably wasn't easy," Rufus said with a sympathetic smile. "I grew up with nothing but at least I had my mom and my brother, you know? I can't imagine only having myself. It had to have been lonely and I'm sorry for that, but I'm not sorry for whatever parts of that life led you here. We're lucky to have you, Liv. I hope you know that."

She gave him a long thoughtful glance and a sheepish lopsided smile before she responded. "I totally understand now why these people broke all the time travel rules to save you," Liv told him with a smirk. "These people would not be the same without you, Rufus. They need you."

He shook his head and gave her a bashful smile. She chuckled at him but didn't say anything. As his eyes fell back on Jiya's tearstained but peaceful face he couldn't help but think that maybe they needed Liv too.

They didn't ask for her, but the things you really need are rarely the things you request. No, the things you really need always seem to find _you_ first. And isn't that what Liv did? She found them first.

He only hoped she stayed.

* * *

"Buchanan, New York. July 13th, 1977," Flynn read off the monitor. "Well, Unless the new Timeline crossing technology Rufus and Jiya have been working on is finally ready...it looks like I'll be sitting this one out."

"Finally, something good comes from our multiple failures," Rufus said as he pressed a kiss to Jiya's temple. "That almost makes the frustration worth it."

"Guess that means I'm up," Liv said with a smirk. "1977 seems to be a step up from 1899 at least."

"Uh, Yeah, you say that now, but you won't be saying that later when we walk straight into the New York City Blackout of 1977," Lucy told her with a wince.

Wyatt sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair. "Blackout in New York City? There was looting, wasn't there?"

"Vandalism, looting, arson. Over $300 million dollars in damages to New York City as a whole happened within one night. From 8:30 P.M. to 7:00 A.M.," Lucy answered. "As an example, 35 blocks on Broadway in Brooklyn were decimated. In that one area of Brooklyn alone, 134 stores were looted, 45 of them were set on fire."

"Alright, well, fun time in the hot town tonight," Liv said sarcastically. "Sounds like my kind of party."

"We stay together for this one," Wyatt ordered. "No splitting up."

They all nodded and then turned and headed for the Lifeboat.

"At least the looting will make stealing clothes easier," Rufus with a dry grin.

Minutes later they stepped out into 1977. Liv stumbled from the Lifeboat and hurried over to the trees just behind it. Her sickness was much more intense than any of theirs as it was only her third trip. Wyatt immediately followed her. His own stomach was churning but he'd been on enough trips now that his body adjusted with practice. When she was done she turned quickly with a hand wiping across her mouth and a red flushed face and nearly crashed into him. He caught her arms just in time to keep her from colliding with him and then held her back at a distance.

"Jesus," Liv cursed. "I didn't realize you were standing so close."

"Just making sure you were okay."

She rolled her eyes and scowled at him. "No more seasick than usual." she stepped back and then around him before she tossed one last biting remark over her shoulder. "But thanks anyway, _dad_."

It was sarcastic and meant to tell him he was being overprotective, he knew, but for some reason it froze him where he stood. He couldn't move a muscle for a solid minute. His other three team members were several paces ahead of him now and walking in the direction of the tiny town of Buchanan while he was still rooted to his spot next to the Lifeboat.

Lucy turned, finally noticing he wasn't with them, and gave him a concerned look. "You okay?"

He shook himself and took several long strides to catch up with her. "Yeah, yeah I'm good."

Rufus hotwired a car and they headed off to New York City. The drive would take at least an hour and a half which would put them arriving in the city two hours before the blackout.

"Do we know what we should be looking for?" Liv asked from her seat in the back next to Lucy. "What could Rittenhouse, or Emma, possibly want to accomplish during the Blackout?"

"If I were her I'd use the blackout for cover," Wyatt offered as he drove.

"Use it as a distraction," Liv said with a nod. "Makes sense, but for that to work you'd have to be doing something central to where the majority of the chaos takes place."

"Well, that would be Broadway in Brooklyn," Lucy said with a sigh. "You know, where all the arson is."

"Ah, yes let's run toward the risk of fire and smoke inhalation and dying in an inferno," Rufus said with feigned cheerfulness and a nod. "Good idea. I love my job."

They all took a moment to share a grin at Rufus' expense before Wyatt got back to the plan. "So, we head that way, keep an eye out for Emma, and then follow her once we find her."

"And if we don't find her?" Rufus asked.

"We get the hell out of dodge before they start burning the place to the ground," Liv told him. "In my experience looters don't exactly give a damn about collateral damage."

They parked the car on the street and then ducked into one of the many shops that would be destroyed in a couple of hours. They all changed quickly and abandoned their old clothes. Liv was very adept at popping security tags. All it took was a magnet applied to the back of the tag and it came off easily. Lucy had mentioned this to him after Liv's first mission when he had sprained his ankle. She mentioned Liv's 'misspent youth' was partially spent shoplifting and reselling designer clothing. But seeing her in action was different than hearing about it.

The three of them thought they were experts at shoplifting by now but Liv made them all look like clumsy fools. They left in totally different clothes than they came in wearing and the shop owner was none the wiser.

Liv was the last to leave the store and she met them around the block. The minute she came around the corner, Wyatt felt tension in his brow and his jaw. What the hell was she wearing? Was that a mini skirt and knee high boots? Why was she showing so much leg? They were on a mission not going out for a night on the town. Not only that but she had a Rolling Stones t-shirt tied up to expose her midriff. His disdain for her outfit must have shown on his face because she scoffed at him as she joined the group.

"What is your problem?" She asked him with an irritated expression.

"I don't know, don't you think you _stand out_ just a little too much in that outfit?" He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I mean we're supposed to blend in not be so...distracting."

"I _am_ blending in," she told him with a roll of her eyes. "Listen, if ever a person was born in the wrong era of time it was me. I was meant to be a babe in the 1970s," she said with a smirk. "This is blending in. I mean no offense, but you guys look like office professionals on their evening commute. Where as _I_ look cool and hip. Get over it."

"She's not wrong," Lucy told him with a shrug. "She is much more in line with street fashion in 1977 than any of us."

He gave Lucy a startled look. "Are you serious? You're on board with this? How the hell is she supposed to run in that outfit, let alone fight if the situation calls for it?"

"If she can fight Rittenhouse agents in a corset in 1899 then she can do anything," Lucy told him with a chuckle. "Relax."

Liv's hands were on her hips as she stared angrily at Wyatt. She didn't look over at Lucy for even a moment as she acknowledged her support. "Thank you, Lucy, at least one of you has some sense."

"Hey," Rufus added as he raised his hand. "I didn't say anything about your outfit. I mean honestly, I didn't even notice it until Wyatt said something."

Wyatt turned his head slowly to glare at Rufus but said nothing.

Rufus looked away from him with a guilty expression and shrugged. "What? She's right. She looks _cool_. Like a 1970s badass."

"Plus, if I'm gonna steal clothes, I'm gonna steal clothes I'd wear in the present," Liv added with a shrug of her own. "I have a red leather jacket at home that would look killer with this outfit."

Lucy gave the outfit another once over with a thoughtful expression and then grinned. "Oh, that would be cute! Maybe with your hair up and off your neck-"

Wyatt interrupted her with a loud sigh that was partially an irritated groan and Lucy rolled her eyes at him with a dry chuckle.

"God, what is up with you today?" Lucy asked with a shake of her head. "Relax. We still have an hour before the blackout starts. We're fine."

"Do we know where the looting around here starts?" Liv asked.

"No, and it took up 35 blocks so your guess is as good as mine," Lucy answered.

Liv bit her bottom lip and gave Wyatt a hesitant glance before she spoke. "Look, dude, I know you're not thrilled with me right now for some insane chauvinistic reason and I know you said you wanted us to stick together, but we cannot cover 35 blocks without splitting up. That is physically impossible."

"Hate to say it," Rufus said reluctantly. "But she's right."

"In an hour this city is going to be chaos," Wyatt told them with a shake of his head. "I need eyes on all of you."

Liv quirked a brow at him. "All of us? God, Logan, then why the hell am I here? I'm supposed to be your backup, remember? I've been on two missions with these guys and brought them home perfectly safe. What makes you think it'll go any differently with you here? I may not be Delta Force but I've been undercover and had the odds stacked against me enough times to know what I'm doing. If you want to get this done then you have to trust me to be as good at this as you are."

She was right. He knew she was right. But there was something in him that could not risk anything happening to her. He had an instinct to protect her instead of work with her and it wasn't that he didn't trust her to be good at her job. He did. He knew her record. He had heard Denise Christopher raving about her. It was the idea of her being so good at her job that they ended up losing her that had him hesitant to split up. But she was absolutely right. They didn't have time to cover all the ground they needed to as a group of four.

He sighed in resignation and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. You and Lucy head north. Rufus and I will head south. Just...both of you be careful, okay?"

Lucy stepped forward and kissed his cheek quickly. "You too. We'll meet back here in an hour?"

He nodded at her and gave Liv an apologetic smile before the two women walked away. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he and Rufus headed in the opposite direction. Rufus was staring at him. Like he was dying to ask a question but he wasn't sure if he should.

"Spit it out," Wyatt finally said with a huff. "What is it?"

"What is with you today? Why are you being so weird about Liv? Do you-do you have a thing for her or something, man? Cause she's hot, sure, but after all the shit you and Lucy went through to get to the place you're in now I might actually try and fight you if you screw it up," Rufus asked him with narrowed eyes. He was barely taking the time to breathe between questions.

Wyatt's face pinched in disgust at the idea of him having _that kind_ of interest in Liv and he adamantly shook his head in a negative response. "God, hell no, Rufus. _Hell no_. I will admit to being weird but it's not like that."

"Then what the hell is it?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. From the minute she showed up I just felt so protective of her. It's almost like she's...family somehow? But it doesn't feel like a sibling connection. It's different. I don't even know how to describe it. I just know it is not _at all_ like what you're thinking," he clarified.

There was a moment of silence as they walked before Rufus finally replied. "You know, you two are remarkably similar. Jiya and I were talking about that the other night. You don't think the two of you could be actually related somehow, do you?"

"What?" Wyatt asked. "No, that would be too...coincidental."

"Come on, think about it," Rufus said with a shrug. "She has no idea who her real family is, right? You said yourself your dad was a bastard. Is it possible that maybe - I don't know, but maybe she actually is your sister?"

"You're suggesting that my dad had a child with some other woman that I never knew about and that this child somehow ended up at a children's home in DC, which is roughly a days drive from Texas by the way, and _then_ coincidentally ended up assigned to our team by Homeland Security?" His tone was incredulously and his smirk was teasing. The idea was ridiculous and too far fetched even for them.

"Yeah, that does seem unlikely, huh?" Rufus asked with a chuckle.

"Just a bit," Wyatt answered with a grin.

"That would be cool, though, wouldn't it? I mean, after all the awful curveballs this job has thrown at us, it would be nice if one of the curveballs turned out to be a positive one, right?"

"If only, Rufus," Wyatt said with a crooked smile. "If only."

Lucy and Liv ended up finding Emma first and they followed her to where Rufus and Wyatt had found the rest of the Rittenhouse team, including his ex-wife. Lucy reached him first.

"The looting has officially started. What are they doing?" Lucy asked.

"Apparently, in 1977 several of the shops on Broadway were fronts for Rittenhouse. They're trying to make sure the cops find the evidence for some reason," Wyatt whispered.

"Must have something to do with one of the three families still left," Lucy replied. "Setting one of them up for prison so they're not around in the present, maybe?"

"If that's the case, then should we stop them?" Rufus asked. "I'm not seeing the problem."

"The problem comes in when we get back," Liv told him with a shake of her head. "This is a power grab. I'm not sure we want Rittenbitch to have any more power than she already has."

"Fair point," Rufus agreed. "So, what do we do?"

Liv and Wyatt exchanged glances before looking back through the shop window. It was a look that communicated a singular thought that they both knew was risky, but still their best option.

"We smoke them out," Wyatt said with a tired sigh.

"We interrupt before they can finish planting whatever evidence they're planting and we burn the place down to cover it up," Liv agreed with a nod.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lucy said with wide shocked eyes. "You want _us_ to start the fires? The arson hasn't started yet and you want _us_ to be the ones to start it?"

"Do you have a better plan?" Wyatt asked her with eager curiosity. "I'm serious. Do you? Because if you do we'll use it. I'm not crazy about this plan myself."

Three sets of eyes turned to Lucy before she shook her head with a wince. "I've got nothing. Sorry."

"Okay," Liv said as she pulled her gun from her thigh holster. "Bullets and flames it is then."

"We'll take care of the bullets," Wyatt said as he motioned to himself and Liv.

"We'll take care of the flames," Lucy agreed with a nod as she pulled Rufus to her side.

They shot through the shop window and stepped through, offering cover fire for each other, until the only people left in the shop were Emma and Jessica. Liv and Wyatt stood side by side with guns raised, each on a different target. Emma and Jessica had their guns aimed at them as well. Jessica's was trained on Liv and Emma's was trained on Wyatt.

"What are you waiting for?" Emma asked Jessica with a roll of her eyes. "You failed to shoot her last time. Now's your chance."

"I don't see you shooting either," Jessica spat.

"If I shoot then she'll shoot and you'll lose your chance. So, go on, shoot her. Or him. I don't care either way," Emma said with a twisted grin.

"Hell, _she_ might just shoot anyway," Liv said with a smirk. "I'm standing right here, you know."

"Jessica," Wyatt said slowly as he watched Jessica's trigger finger twitch. "Don't. Don't do this."

"Then shoot me first, Wyatt," Jessica told him.

Something in her tone sounded strange to his ears. Almost...pleading. Why would she be pleading with him to shoot her? That didn't make sense.

"I don't have a choice," Jessica said as her finger tightened on the trigger.

Wyatt grit his teeth and fired his gun, hitting Jessica in the leg, causing her to stumble and lose her hold on her weapon. He let Jessica get away with a lot of things in the past, but no way in hell was he going to let her shoot Liv. _No. Way. In. Hell._

Emma then fired at him in retaliation and from that point on the world moved in slow motion. Before he could stop her Liv was jumping in front of him and shooting at Emma. Both Emma and Liv fell to the ground. Wyatt could have sworn he heard Jessica yell out for Liv in a strangled tone that matched his own, but he didn't have time to focus on that just now. The smell of smoke was filling the room which meant Rufus and Lucy had started the fire and he needed to get them the hell out of there. He bent next to Liv and found her still conscious and bleeding from her side.

"Shit, Liv," Wyatt cursed. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"That bullet would have hit you square in the chest, Wyatt. You wouldn't have survived that. That's what I was thinking," Liv admitted with a pained cry. "God, just get me out of here, will you?"

He nodded and gently lifted her off the ground and held her against his chest. "Whatever you do, do _not_ pass out on me. You got that?"

She nodded weakly. "Got it."

As Wyatt turned to walk away he caught Jessica's eye as she was bracing a wounded Emma against her side and limping away. For reasons he didn't understand, her expression looked grateful. Grateful for what? For shooting her in the leg? Grateful for ruining Rittenhouse's plan? None of what Jessica had done since they charged through that shop window made any sense.

However, that was the least of his worries, right now. First things first, find somewhere to patch up Liv and find it fast. From what he could see of the wound it wasn't fatal, but she was losing an awful lot of blood.

The minute Lucy saw Liv's ashen face she directed them to the nearest hospital. Normally, they avoided hospitals but it was an hour drive to the Lifeboat and this wasn't something they could patch up on their own.

Wyatt felt like someone was ripping his chest in two as he placed Liv on a gurney and watched them wheel her off. His heart was nearly beating out of his body and he would have felt totally numb were it not for Lucy's hand in his as she led him to one of the chair's in the waiting area.

"She's going to be okay," Lucy assured him. "You said yourself that it wasn't a fatal wound."

She was right. He knew that. He had seen it for himself. In fact, he had a scar in that exact same area from a bullet and he lived to tell the tale. It was a part of Liv's job to keep them safe. He knew that too. But still... _it shouldn't have happened_. Emma's bullet had been intended for him. Not Liv. He would rather it had hit him as intended because this sitting and waiting in a hospital was ten times worse than being shot himself.

"Are you okay?" Rufus asked from his seat next to him.

"I'm fine. I'm not the one who was shot," Wyatt said with a sigh as he stared down at his blood stained hands. Liv's blood. Not his own.

"Yeah, but...you shot Jessica. I mean you've never had to do that before so I didn't know if-you know, forget it. Forget I said anything." Rufus cleared his throat and ran a hand over his face. "I want coffee. You want anything?"

Wyatt shook his head and then felt Lucy's hand rubbing consoling circles on his back. His friends knew something was going on with him but, like him, they didn't know what. He had an attachment to Liv that he could not explain, a connection. He felt what she felt and he wanted to be there for her. He needed to be a part of her life. It wasn't romantic in anyway, he'd meant what he said to Rufus earlier that day. It was familial. Something that seemed ingrained in his very DNA. He couldn't shake it no matter how hard he tried.

He tensed as Rufus's words finally hit him. His reaction delayed by Rufus leaving and Lucy's comforting touch. But now he finally heard what Rufus had been trying to say.

 _He shot Jessica._ Even after all the lies and manipulation and putting her behind him, he avoided shooting her or shooting at her if he could. He may not be in love with her and she wasn't the Jessica he lost in his original timeline, but she was still somehow a piece of that Jessica and he couldn't do her harm. Or at least that's what he thought, but the minute it was Liv's life on the line he didn't stop for a minute to think about his Jessica. It was Liv or Jessica and he picked Liv. It was the easiest decision he'd ever made.

What was wrong with him?

They were there for a few more hours before Liv was finally wheeled back out to them looking irritated and snapping at the nurse. She seemed fine. She had a thick bandage over her bullet wound that could fully be seen thanks to the midriff baring nature of her outfit and just the sight of it filled him with remorse. This should not have happened. This was all his fault.

"Stop that," he heard Liv say as she smacked his arm. "This is not your fault. This is Emma's."

"You took that bullet for me," he reminded her.

"Yes, I did, and I would do it again right now if I had to," Liv said with a kind smile. "No way in hell I was going to let Emma shoot you."

Her words echoed his thoughts while Jessica had her gun trained on Liv and he wondered if that was a coincidence or if it meant something. He was also beginning to think that there might be something to Rufus's sibling theory. There had to a reason he was so connected to Liv. _Had to be_.

"Now, can we _please_ go home?" Liv asked with a tired sigh. "I love the 70s. In fact, you could call me obsessed, but even _I'm_ ready to go home."

Lucy grinned knowingly at her. "Home as in the present or home as in the bunker?"

"Well, I'm sure as hell not talking about my empty two bedroom apartment where the only things waiting on me are week old take out and a bottle of Jack, now am I?" She replied with a wink at Lucy.

 _Home_. She considered the bunker her home? She considered the place the team lived to be her home. He felt pride and warmth in his chest at that thought as he smiled at her easily.

"Well, honestly, you probably have a bottle of Jack waiting on you in the bunker too," He told her with a grin.

She laughed lightly and then winced when it must have tugged her stitches. "Yeah, but at least I have people to drink it _with_ in the bunker."

"Yeah, you do," Rufus said as he extended his fist for a bump, which she obliged. "And we're happy to help you with a bottle anytime."

She laughed again but bit back the wince this time. "I always knew that bunker was full of alcoholics."

"Come on," Wyatt said with a chuckle. "Let's get you home, slugger."

He draped an arm around her shoulders as they walked, knowing she would not admit to needing to lean her weight on someone. She leaned into him just enough to manage her pain with a skeptical expression. He could tell she saw through the gesture but she, thankfully, didn't argue. He would figure out their connection later. For now, she needed them, _the family she chose_ , and he planned to be there for her.

* * *

 _iii. i feel that ice is slowly melting_

* * *

Okay, so she'd been shot just a little bit. She'd been through worse in her lifetime and honestly compared to having someone dig beer bottle shards out of her shoulder having a bullet fished out of her side was nothing. But with the way these people were hovering one would think she'd been near death.

Since returning from 1977, she had been to a modern day hospital, changed her dressing, and gone home for a day of leave. Yes, she had survived a day without Wyatt hovering over her shoulder, Lucy bringing her a fresh cup of tea every fifteen minutes, and Rufus offering up lame attempts at bullet wound related humor. It was shocking, but she managed it.

About halfway through her shift, when they should all be headed to bed but weren't, Liv couldn't take it anymore. She snuck away and barricaded herself in the bathroom with the chair firmly in place.

She was stitched up, not an invalid. Never in her life had she suffered such babysitting. It was suffocating. There had also been no Mothership jump since 1977. Emma and Jessica were probably nursing their wounds. It was good, but it meant the team had nothing to focus on but her.

She really needed them to have something else to focus on.

There was a knock on the metal door, and Liv bit back a groan.

"Liv?"

Lucy.

Liv let out a long suffering sigh before responding. "Please tell me you're not bringing me another cup of tea."

There was a pause and then a chuckle. "I guess I deserved that."

There was another lingering silence as Liv waited for the question she knew was coming.

"Can I come in?"

She stared at the door for a long skeptical moment. "Are the other two musketeers with you? They're not gonna rush the door the minute I open it, are they?"

Lucy laughed loudly and when the laughter died she said, "Not now they aren't."

Liv rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I knew it."

"It'll just be me. I promise."

She pushed off of the tile floor and then reluctantly opened the door. Sure enough, only Lucy stood on the other side. But despite Liv's teasing earlier, she was actually holding a cup of tea.

Liv looked at the tea and then gave Lucy a bored glance. "Seriously?"

"I—it's for me," Lucy stuttered.

"Mhm," Liv said with a chuckle as she opened the door wider and allowed Lucy to step through.

"So, I'm guessing," Lucy said as she watched Liv close the door. "We overdid it?"

Liv gave Lucy a bemused half grin. "I don't know, Preston. How many cups of tea do you think a human can reasonably drink in four hours? Because for the last four hours you've brought me a cup of tea like every fifteen minutes. What do you think? Is that overdoing it?"

Lucy winced and nodded. "Sorry. I didn't realize...I wasn't counting."

"I know," Liv told her. She smiled sadly at her before leaning against the tile wall and studying the floor. She didn't want to see the pity in the other woman's eyes when she spoke next. "And it's not all you. I'm...I'm not used to this."

"This...what?" Lucy asked as she stepped closer.

"This having people worry about you thing or this people trying to take care of you thing. You know? It's been just me for so long that this whole team _thing_ is sort of overwhelming," Liv admitted with a sigh and a careless shrug that she definitely didn't feel. "Except for some interference from Denise, I've either been the one taking care of others or on my own. That's all I know. It's who I am."

Liv felt a comforting hand on her arm and instinctively looked up to meet Lucy's eyes. Lucy was smiling gently at her.

"Believe it or not," Lucy told her. "I know _exactly_ how you feel. I took care of everyone else growing up. My mother, my sister. I lived for other people. It took Wyatt and Rufus to show me that I deserved to be cared for too. That I could _let_ people help me. I just had to trust them. It wasn't always easy and we definitely annoyed the hell out of each other at times, still do, but once it stops being overwhelming...you won't know how you ever did without it. _Trust me_."

Liv wasn't sure why, but she believed her. _Trusted_ her.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Lucy said as she glanced around the bathroom. "We'll lighten up. I promise."

"No more tea?" Liv asked with a grin.

Lucy laughed and nodded. "No more tea."

"Alright, I'm in," Liv agreed. "But if Rufus makes one more 'you're hole-y' joke I'm coming right back here."

"Deal," Lucy said with a smirk. "I'll even join you. Those jokes are god awful."

* * *

While living in the bunker, Flynn had seen different people sleeping on the uncomfortable common room couch at various points. Usually, Rufus or Wyatt after a fight with their respective partner. A handful of times, he'd seen Jiya or Lucy after they were too emotionally exhausted to make it to their rooms. But never once had he entered the common area to find Liv's honey blonde head resting on their couch. She had rolled into the couch so that her back was facing the room. He spotted a small trash bin next to her, a glass of water, and two Tylenol on the coffee table.

It was too early for her to be here, and he confirmed that fact a second later when he spotted Denise Christopher making a pot of coffee.

"Has she been there all night?" Flynn asked Agent Christopher with a furrowed brow.

"No, I brought her in with me. Apparently, she spent last night smashed at some dive bar. The bartender called me on her phone as I was leaving for work. It's a good thing she was already scheduled to have today off or I would be lecturing her about responsibility," Denise said as she turned and gave Liv's back a scolding stare. "I should have seen this coming, though. She never handles today well."

"What's today?" He asked.

"Her birthday," Denise answered before glancing at him with questioning eyes. "Why do you care anyway? I didn't think you liked her."

"I don't," Flynn answered quickly. "She's not normally here this time of day. I was curious."

And now he was curious about something else. What was so horrible about her birthday that would cause her to drink herself into a catatonic state? He knew from seeing her around the bunker that the girl could handle her alcohol, so to end up hungover on their couch she must have had an exceptional amount of it.

 _Why_?

Although, hadn't he gone on a similar bender on what would have been Iris's fourth birthday? When you've loved and lost birthdays aren't the easiest of days. But why _her own_ birthday?

"Can I trust you not to kill her while she's sleeping?" Denise asked as she peered suspiciously at him over her coffee cup.

"Killing her would serve no benefit to me. Whether either of us like it or not, we're on the same side," Flynn told her with a quirked brow and a blank expression. Why did everyone always think murder was his first course of action?

"Good to know. I have reports to read and I need to get to work," she said with a nod as she took her coffee and made her way to her desk in the main silo.

Which left Flynn in the kitchen, just a few feet from a passed out and likely hungover Agent Olivia Smith.

The last time they'd been alone she threatened his life. It was probably best to make his breakfast and get out of her way. He quietly got to work making eggs and bacon for himself when he heard her stirring from behind him.

"Oh my god," she said with a pained moan. "Could you be cooking any louder?"

"Considering I have been going out of my way to not make a sound, yes I definitely could," Flynn answered with a roll of his eyes. "Would you like me to try?"

"Oh I see, you're an asshole no matter what time of day. Let me just file that bit of intel away."

"And you're sarcastic even when hungover," he told her as he feigned surprised. "Who knew?"

"I really don't like you."

"It's mutual. Take your Tylenol and get over it."

He heard her sigh and then the faint sounds of shuffling followed ending with the sound of glass being placed back down on the table. He turned his head just enough to see that she had gulped down the glass of water in one long sip and she now sat with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Her clothes were rumpled and her hair matted. He saw her swallow thickly and could guess she was in a great deal of pain.

Something in him took pity on her.

He slid the plate of eggs and bacon he made for himself onto one of the nearby tables and pointed to it. "You should eat breakfast. It helps."

She looked up and stared between him and the plate for several quiet moments before she finally spoke. "What did you do to the eggs?"

He shook his head and huffed. "Nothing. You're already pathetic. I wouldn't kick you while you were down. That's entirely unfair."

She stood from the couch and wobbled unsteadily to the table, like a wounded baby animal. Seeing her this off balance was almost amusing. He's never seen anything ruffle Agent Smith's feathers.

She sat down and he handed her a fork which she accepted with a lazy nod. "Thanks."

He reached in the refrigerator and then set a bottle of Gatorade in front of her. "You should hydrate. Wouldn't want anyone to see you like this and assume _I_ did this to you."

"I almost wish you had," Liv said as she opened the bottle. "Then I'd have something to punch. _Or shoot_."

"Well, once you've eaten a work out may not be a bad idea for you. They say you can sweat out a hangover," Flynn offered as he cracked two more eggs for himself.

He could feel her suspicious glare on his back.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

He thought about it as he turned to face her. Why was he being nice to her? "I've seen you drink. You can handle your whiskey. So for you to be this hungover you must have drank half the bar and someone like you doesn't drink half the bar without a damn good reason. I've gotten wasted with a damn good reason more than once before. I know what that's like."

She sighed and turned a sullen glance down on her eggs. It was a familiar look that Flynn had seen on one Master Sergeant who was likely still in bed.

"Is not knowing your actual birthday a 'damn good' reason?" She asked quietly. "Cause that's what sets me off every year. I don't know my birthday, I don't know my real name, I don't have a real family...I'm alone. I'm alone and completely unknown. Some pediatrician guessed at my birthday after my real parents abandoned me at a children's home in the middle of the night. So, happy birthday to me, whoever the hell I _actually_ am."

"You know, most of the people in this bunker are proof that your family doesn't _actually_ define you," Flynn told her as he gave up cooking his breakfast and sat down across from her. "Lucy's family is two generations of evil bastards, Wyatt's father from what I understand was a son of a bitch, Rufus's Dad left him, his mom, and his brother to fend for themselves… **.** My point is, not knowing who your family is doesn't mean you don't know who you are. There's more to any of us than our origin story."

"Including you?" She asked with a quirked brow.

He nodded. "No one should have to lose their family. Whether they lose them the way I did or they lose them the way you did. It's a trauma we never recover from."

She glanced down at her eggs and the bottle of Gatorade before giving him a small grin. "You know, before you were an asshole, I bet you were a pretty great dad."

"I tried to be."

"You ever think you can be the non-asshole version of you again?" She asked him with a look of genuine concern. "Because, I don't know, I'm starting to see some potential."

He chuckled dryly and shook his head at her. "Oh no, I can't have that. There's no potential for change here. Don't start with that. Lucy has already been down that road."

She snorted and then smirked at him. "And Lucy is never right about these things. Right?"

"Again, with the sarcasm."

She shrugged at him and laughed lightly. "It's my trademark."

There was shuffling from the hallway and they both turned to find Jiya staring at them in shock.

"Did I wake up in some alternate timeline? Or like the Twilight Zone? Are you two actually sitting at the same table and smiling?"

"I have an excuse," Olivia told Jiya with a smirk. "I'm hungover and not in my right mind."

Flynn grinned broadly and nodded his agreement. "And I'm taking pity on her."

"Right, sure, okay," Jiya said as she narrowed her eyes at both of them and made her way to the coffee. "Do whatever you want, just don't tell Wyatt. I am not in the mood to deal with his brooding today."

Flynn and Olivia shared a small secretive grin and silently agreed to Jiya's terms. They didn't want to suffer Wyatt's brooding either.

* * *

"Did you know Liv doesn't know her real birthday?" Lucy asked Wyatt as they got ready for bed.

"She doesn't? How is that possible?" Wyatt asked with a furrowed brow.

"She was left on the front steps as a toddler with no documentation or even a note, remember? She doesn't even know the name her parents gave her. She said the woman in charge of the home named her after Oliver Twist," Lucy said as she put lotion on her hands and watched Wyatt unmake the bed.

She frowned at the newly framed picture of the team on their bed side table and ran a finger over Liv's face.

"There has to be someway that we can find out for her, don't you think?" Lucy asked. "She deserves to know where she comes from."

"What if the reality of where she comes from is worse than not knowing?" Wyatt asked worriedly. "I mean was it _pleasant_ finding out the truth about your family?"

"No," Lucy told him with a conflicted sigh. "But I'm glad I know. Even if dealing with it hurt, I don't regret finding out."

"How do you know this anyway?" Wyatt asked her with a furrowed brow. "Liv didn't tell you. She avoids talking about her childhood whenever possible."

She really hoped he wouldn't fixate on that. She should have known better.

"Flynn told me," she said quickly before moving on to her next thought, hoping to distract him. "I was thinking we could put Jiya to work researching it. She helped me figure out what happened to Amy. I'm sure she could find some clue as to who left Liv at that home all those years ago."

"I'm sorry," Wyatt said as he sat down on the edge of their two cots. " _Who_ told you?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip and sighed. "Flynn told me."

"And how does _Flynn_ know?" Wyatt asked with a stern gaze.

"Well, he and Liv are kind of _friends_ now I guess," Lucy answered hesitantly. "It seems they bonded over losing their families or something."

"What and you and I _haven't_ lost our families?"

Lucy turned a tired look on Wyatt and shook her head. "Okay, please do _not_ turn this into a competition. I really don't want to compare all the ways we've suffered since this time travel mess started. We're all trying to move forward here. _All of us_. Including Liv and including Flynn."

"I thought you said she threatened his life on that one mission," Wyatt said with a huff.

"She did," Lucy answered as her lips twitched upward in amusement. "I guess they found some middle ground."

"Perfect," he said sarcastically. "Just what I need, _another person_ trusting Flynn. I really thought I finally found an ally but no Flynn had to charm her too. What is with him? I mean is he really _that_ likeable? And how come _he's_ the one she tells about Oliver Twist and not knowing her birthday? Does she trust him more than _us_?"

"Wyatt," Lucy said as she gave him an affectionate smile. "You really care about her, don't you? Like she's family?"

She could tell by the way he sounded so jilted, like he'd been cheated out of an opportunity to help Liv. He _wanted_ to be there for Liv and learn as much as he could about her. She could see that he genuinely wanted to get to know her. His interest in Liv might worry another woman but Lucy knew him well enough to spot the difference. She wasn't worried. She was touched, inspired, awed. She loved this man for this very reason.

He had a good heart and the instincts of a caretaker. Even during his darkest days, when he thought so little of himself, she _knew_ who he really was. He was this man who worried over someone he barely knew and this man who felt cheated because someone else got to offer comfort instead of him. She had once tried to tell him that Jessica was his miracle. She had been wrong. Wyatt Logan wasn't given a miracle because _Wyatt Logan_ was the miracle. He was _her_ miracle, and moments like these always reminded her of that.

"It's hard to explain, Luce," he told her with a shake of his head. "But I feel like she _is_ family. She has to be family. I immediately felt a connection to her unlike any connection in my life. I can't put a name to it, but it's there."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?" Lucy asked with a knowing grin. "You know, using your words?"

A small smile tugged at his lips as he answered her. "You know me, babydoll. Words are never my go to."

She sat down next to him and took his hand in hers. She pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek before pressing her forehead to his temple. "Sometimes, sweetheart, words are necessary. And, for someone who hates them so much, you're surprisingly good at them when you want to be. Bad jokes and awkward compliments aside."

She heard the low chuckle in his throat as he turned his head and focused a warm gaze on her. Those intense eyes always burned straight through her but that was especially true when they were full of love like they were in that moment.

"I'm never going to live that 'not hideous' line down, am I?"

She squinted one eye and bit her bottom lip as if in thought and then replied, "Nope. Definitely not."

"Alright, so I'm not exactly the world's best flirt," Wyatt admitted with a grin.

She laughed and smiled brightly for a lingering moment before speaking again. "No, you're not but when it really counts, Wyatt Logan, you know exactly what to say. The same night you crashed and burned at flirting, you also said six words I will never forget. Six words that made me realize a few things myself."

"Oh yeah? And what were those?"

"You saved my life, you know."

She spoke them in the same tone and reverence he had that night in 1941. She heard the catch in his breathing before she met his eyes again. They darkened considerably from the warm gaze she saw earlier. Blue pools of sparkling desire. Once again reminding her of that night in 1941 that set them down this path all those years ago.

"You did," she repeated. "You really did."

"We saved each other," Wyatt amended. "It's sort of our thing. Or haven't you noticed?"

Her eyes fell to the smug grin on his face and to his perfect lips surrounded by heavy stubble. He seemed to be gradually testing the waters for that beard his future self had three years ago. If he grew the beard then would she have to chop off her hair? Was the beard and the hair a package deal? Why was she thinking about this as Wyatt's arms were snaking around her and he was slowly moving in toward her? Now was not the time. He used his hold on her to lay them back on to the cot until she was stretched out and he was hovering over her. Her hand found his cheek and caressed lightly, brushing over his cheek and then back into his hair. His eyes fell closed and he leaned into her touch.

Little touches and caresses were her favorite thing and Wyatt seemed to like receiving them as much as she liked giving them. It fit. Just like everything else about their relationship. Some things between them were work and had taken time to develop, but the little things always came naturally. Like breathing.

"God, I love you," Wyatt said in a hushed voice as he opened his eyes again and found hers.

"I love you too," Lucy replied with a glowing smile. "Now, Master Sergeant, are you gonna kiss me or what?"

He grinned and chuffed but a moment later she got what she wanted. His lips were on hers and he was kissing her with intent focus. The world fell away, leaving the two of them in their own hazy existence. If the ring on her finger hadn't already told her he planned to spend the rest of his life loving her then his kisses would. Every nip, every taste, every crash of his tongue against hers made it clear that she was the only woman he wanted to kiss for the rest of his life.

She had no clue how he managed to convey that with kisses but she hoped he never stopped.

They never finished their discussion about Liv but Lucy had already decided. She cared about Liv too, and Liv deserved answers. She would talk to Jiya in the morning but right now - well right now she needed to show Wyatt Logan he wasn't the only one who could kiss as if their life depended on it.

* * *

Jiya was anxiously awaiting Agent Christopher and Liv's shift change. She needed more information from Liv if she were going to try and find her family. But any question she had left her the minute Liv walked in, rumpled and grinning while wearing her exact same outfit from the day before.

"Um, excuse me," Jiya asked with a smirk. "Is this a walk of shame that I'm witnessing?"

Liv shrugged with a lopsided smirk and collapsed into the chair next to Jiya. She leaned back to put her feet up on the desk but stopped when Jiya's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Maybe," she answered. "I have a _friend_ that I see every now and then. Nothing serious, but we have fun and our schedules usually work out. Which given that I almost exclusively work nights now, is an amazing accomplishment on its own."

"Oh," Jiya asked with a curious expression. "And what does he do?"

"Oh, okay, so you're playing protective little sister now?"

Jiya chuckled and nodded. "Always."

"Well, _she_ owns a bar and works nights too," Liv offered with an easy smile. "It's a friends with benefits situation. I don't do serious. Never have. Tried once, with this guy in DC while I was FBI and we ended up hating each other. I'm not an easy person to love, in case you didn't know. I'm told I'm a bit prickly and closed off."

"So was Wyatt once," Jiya offered with an encouraging smile. "And now he's like the softest idiot to ever be soft."

Liv laughed and nodded. "True. He's pretty soft."

"So maybe it just takes the right person," Jiya told her.

"Or maybe growing up without a real home has screwed me up for life and I'll end up one of those little old ladies who terrorizes people with her scooter and smacks them with her cane when they get in her way. I could be down with that," Liv said with a chuckle. "Besides, maybe it's not a romantic partner that softens me up. Maybe it's all of you."

Jiya smiled warmly at Liv and patted her hand sympathetically. "Maybe it is. Speaking of family, though, no one told you anything about your family growing up?"

"There was nothing to tell," Liv answered as she gave Jiya a skeptical glance. "Why?"

"Just...curious."

Liv's eyes narrowed to tiny slits as she peered at Jiya and Jiya felt like she was looking straight through her to her true motives. Sometimes she forgot Liv was a detective and agent for three different government agencies.

Liv threw her head back with a resigned sigh after a long silent moment. "Flynn told Lucy I don't know my real birthday, didn't he?"

"...no," Jiya lied.

Liv sat up and rolled her eyes. "Rat bastard. See if I ever tell him anything ever again."

"We just thought we might be able to help. Maybe there's something that's been missed, you know?"

"Jiya, you don't think I've done my own investigating over the years?" Liv asked with a huff as she stood up and fisted her hands at her sides in a clear sign of frustration. "I used every resource available to me at every agency I've worked for, even when I shouldn't have. There is literally nothing that anyone has missed. Every rock has been overturned. It's pointless. It's pointless because I only have one useful piece of information and it leads to a dead end."

"And that piece of information is?" Jiya asked eagerly. It didn't matter what Liv said, Jiya had to try.

"October 3rd, 1981," Liv told her through gritted teeth. "The date I was left at the home. I get why you guys want to help," she said with thinly veiled anger. Jiya could see veins popping out on her forehead as Liv continued. "But I've put this behind me as best I can and I don't see how reopening it now will do anyone any good."

"We're a determined group, Liv," Jiya told her as she scribbled down the date. "We're relentless. We'll keep looking until we find _something_ , and we will find something."

Liv shook her head but Jiya could make out the small smile twitching across her lips. "Then I guess I'd better give you the address of the children's home too, huh?"

Jiya grinned and offered Liv her pen. "It would certainly make my job a little easier, yes."

Liv chuckled and took the pen from Jiya. She rolled her eyes before she put the pen to the page and scrawled out the address. "I should have known none of you would leave well enough alone."

"Yeah," Jiya agreed. "You should have."

* * *

It wasn't every morning that Wyatt woke up to the echoing sounds of classic rock filling the bunker. In fact, he never woke up to the reverberating thud of classic rock. _Ever_. But sure as he knew time travel was real he could make out the chorus of "Dream On" from the other side of the metal bedroom door.

Lucy groaned tiredly and pulled her pillow over her head.

"What the hell is that?" She asked. Or he thought that's what she asked. It was muffled by the pillow. She adjusted the pillow so she could peer at him through one bleary eye. "What time is it?"

Wyatt reached for his watch on the bedside table to answer her. "Nine."

"Who is blasting Aerosmith at nine in the morning? And can you please kill them? You're Delta Force. I'm sure you can do it. I have faith in you."

" _I'm sure_ I can find some other alternative to death," he said with a chuckle and a smirk. "Unless it's Flynn and then I'll consider it."

"I'm so tired that I don't even care enough to stop you," Lucy said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Go, do, stop the music."

He grinned down at her for a moment before grabbing her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. "Yes, ma'am."

He quietly slipped on a t-shirt and sweatpants before venturing out into the bunker to find Liv with her back to him, cooking breakfast. He smirked and stood back to watch her for just a moment. She was using a spatula as a guitar and riffing along with the track, kicking her leg as she hopped across the small kitchen.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and that one flash of honey blonde was all it took for the vision in front of him to shift from reality to memory.

Suddenly he was standing in his and Jessica's first apartment. _His_ Jessica. In their tiny dated kitchen, with avocado countertops and cabinets to match, while she danced to whatever eighties pop blared from her favorite radio station. The feeling of familiarity and affection was so strong that he could have sworn he was actually there. He could even smell those vanilla and lavender candles she burned every chance she could, in an effort to cover up the smell of their old radiator kicking on.

The spell broke when "Dream On" shifted from blaring to a dull melody. The memory faded and in Jessica's place stood Liv, with her brow furrowed at him in concern.

"Wyatt?" She asked. "You okay?"

He shook himself and took in a deep breath. "Yeah, fine. Lucy sent me out here to find out what was up with the music."

"I'm making breakfast for everyone," she told him with a soft grin. "Figure blasting Aerosmith would be more pleasant than an alarm or a dinner bell or something."

He snorted and smirked. "Not for Lucy."

Liv directed her attention back to the stove and rolled her eyes. "Make her some tea. She'll get over it. That's her solution to everything, right? Tea?"

He laughed loudly and then nodded. "Pretty much."

"She's such a mom. I swear," Liv said with a light laugh.

The casual use of the word mom struck him hard. It reminded him of the sarcastic way Liv called him dad in 1977 and how that turned his brain into a jumbled mess for several minutes. This was getting ridiculous. Lucy was right. He needed to use his words.

"Hey, Liv?" Wyatt said hesitantly as he watched her turn the bacon.

The song changed from Aerosmith to Boston and Liv's smile widened intro to "More Than a Feeling" started and it felt like the universe was providing a strange soundtrack to their conversation.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"I'm about to ask you something that might sound insane-"

She scoffed. "We work with time travel. Nothing is insane anymore."

"Point taken," he said with a smirk. "But even I can't believe I'm about to ask what I'm about to ask so just...I don't know - don't judge me, okay?"

She laughed. "Wyatt, I am in no position to judge anyone. Trust me. Shoot."

For some reason the light and joking way she referred to her troubled past put a permanent crack in his heart, but he powered on. He was determined to have this conversation.

"Do I seem familiar to you?" He asked. "Does it seem like we know each other? Or _should_ know each other?"

She flipped a pancake in the skillet and then her hand stilled with a tightened grip on the spatula. She didn't have to speak for him to know her answer.

"Yes," she said softly. "I-I thought it was just me."

"Not just you," Wyatt answered as he sighed in relief.

She turned to face him then and gave him a lopsided grin that he quickly mirrored. Neither knew what the mutual feeling meant, but acknowledging it felt _right_. It left a strange sense of validation between them that further clicked their connection into place. Whatever that connection was.

"Rufus actually suggested that we might be related," Wyatt told her.

"I know fucking nothing about my family so that's pretty damn possible," she said with a shrug and a smirk. "And we do look alike. Similar coloring and features. Who's to say we aren't somehow related? But, honestly, I can't see how it matters."

"What do you mean?" He asked with a furrowed brow. Of course it mattered.

She seemed to know what his furrowed brow meant because she smiled sheepishly before she answered him. "Sorry, I didn't mean it how it sounded. It _does_ matter. I just mean...even if we're _not_ related, you and yours still welcomed me with open arms. Which was more than I ever expected. So, blood relation or not, we're already family."

He didn't quite know what to say after that. She was right. They had all been assuring her of that from the very beginning but to hear her say it - to hear her _accept it_ \- left him speechless. The crack she'd put in his heart at the beginning of this conversation healed ever so slightly at her words. She misunderstood his silence, though, and turned away from him to go back to cooking breakfast.

"I mean, I consider us family," she amended. "Not that I expect you to or anything." She chuckled bitterly as she continued. "I don't expect anything. _Ever_."

"But I do, Liv," Wyatt said hurriedly. Wow, he was really screwing this up. "We all do. That's why Lucy and Jiya insisted on finding your family for you. They know you need answers. They know finding out the truth will help you. If we didn't care about you, we wouldn't invade your privacy."

She turned her head to look at him again and grinned. "Privacy? What privacy? I don't even know what that word means anymore."

"Yeah, been a while since I knew what it meant too." He smiled at her in amusement and then made his way to the coffee maker next to where she was still cooking. "Do you need any help?"

"The only help I need is getting the rest of the bunker fam up and out of bed," she told him with a mischievous smirk. "Think you can handle it?"

He poured himself a cup of coffee and then pulled down a glass from a nearby cabinet. "They'll get up. Or they'll end up soaked," he told her as he filled the glass full of tap water and set it aside. "My grandpa used to do this when I wouldn't wake up for our fishing trips."

"Do what?" She asked in confusion. "Pour a cup of water on you?"

He dipped his fingers in the water and then flicked them at her face. She winced and turned away as he did it two more times.

"Oh my god, stop! That is fucking _annoying_ as hell, Logan," she yelled. Her words sounded angry but her laughter and the mirth in her eyes indicated the opposite. "Please get someone to film you doing that to Flynn. He's going to be murderous. _Literally_."

"Oh no, I'm not going anywhere near Flynn with this. You're apparently friends with him so I'll leave that to you," Wyatt told her with a teasing glare. "Traitor, by the way. You're a damn traitor, Olivia Smith."

"He made me hangover eggs. I had no choice but to befriend him. Those are the rules."

"Yeah, okay, I don't buy it," Wyatt told her with an eye roll.

"Whatever, man," Liv said as she shoved him playfully. "Go wake your woman. I'm making the eggs next and I don't want them to get cold."

As he walked backed toward his room with two cups of coffee, he had a feeling things with Liv were going to be a lot easier from here on out. They knew where they stood now, and the door was open for more conversations in the future. He had no doubt they would figure out what all of this meant eventually. For now, he planned to enjoy a rare quiet morning with his family. His _entire_ family. For once everyone was together and whole and happy.

It didn't matter what else happened for the rest of the day. Not now. It would be hard for anything to ruin it now.

* * *

Rufus and Flynn were clearing away breakfast later when Jiya and Lucy exchanged a pained expression. Their eyes moved from each other to Liv and Rufus knew what that meant. Bad news. Of course, he knew that before they all woke up this morning. He had watched Jiya stress night after night while trying to find any small piece of information on Liv's family.

It turned out Liv was right. She really had overturned every stone. There was no new information to find.

Rufus tried to focus on doing dishes with Flynn but they both had one ear tuned to the conversation at the table behind them. Lucy and Jiya broke the news as gently as possible and Liv's response was unexpected.

 _She laughed_.

But it was an awful sound. Hollow all the way through.

"I tried to tell you," she said with a sigh. "But you wouldn't listen. Thanks anyway, guys. It was a good try."

The chair scraped against the floor and Rufus felt her standing behind them. She tapped Flynn on the shoulder and gestured over her shoulder with her thumb. "Take a hike. I'll take drying duty."

The look on her face was too serious to argue with so Flynn merely shrugged and stepped aside.

Wyatt tried to talk to her but she held up a hand to stop him. "Not right now, Logan, okay? Just...give me time."

Hurt flashed across the soldier's much too expressive face before he nodded and muttered a quiet okay. Rufus gave him a sympathetic look as he walked away. Rufus watched her for a minute as he handed her one dish and then the next before deciding to take a chance at humor.

"You couldn't have volunteered for washing duty?" He asked with a grin.

He got the reaction he wanted when she chuckled lightly and shook her head. "I cooked. I'm not washing too."

"Right, well you didn't ask me if I wanted to cook. I could have cooked. Why do I have to have dishpan hands because you decided to crash our bunker and make us breakfast?"

She laughed and bumped his shoulder. "You're a jackass."

"Hey, you're the one that broke into my house and used my food to cook yourself breakfast."

"Okay, well, I'll be sure not to do that again. Though, technically, Homeland Security pays for your groceries and _I'm_ Homeland Security which means it's really _my food_. Also, you live in a government owned facility and I'm-"

"The government. Yeah okay, I get it. You can cook me food and dry the dishes. I give," Rufus told her with a feigned look of offense. "The Man's always gotta get you down. Figures."

"I am clearly _not_ The Man," Liv said with a playful roll of her eyes. "The Man probably doesn't have a sealed juvenile offense record in his history."

"True, what did you do?" Rufus asked curiously.

"Reckless endangerment, grand theft among others," she said with a shrug. "Stole my piece of shit foster dad's boss' porsche and went for a joyride. Crashed it into a McDonald's sign, the sign fell caused damage to a few other vehicles...you know general chaos."

"Damn. How old?" Rufus asked with a grin.

"Thirteen," she said with a chuckle. "I had an 'attitude problem'."

"Had?" He asked teasingly.

She smirked and tilted her head thoughtfully. "Okay, maybe I still do."

"No maybe," Rufus told her with a laugh. "You definitely do. But I gotta say, you probably lived better than I did. I was a nerd. I watched 80s television and worked on science fair projects pretty much all day every day when I was thirteen."

"Honestly," Liv said with a sad sigh. "I _wish_ that had been me, Rufus. All I ever wanted as a kid was to be normal and to understand _why_ my family didn't want me or why no other family seemed to want me either. Well, no _decent_ family anyway. It took basically my whole life to make peace with never getting those answers and I know Lucy and Jiya were trying to help but…"

"But hope opened up all those old wounds?" Rufus asked in understanding. "I get that."

She nodded with a solemn expression and huff. "Now all those old questions are swirling around in my head again and I still have no hope for any answers."

"Sounds like you need a drink," he told her, as he smirked knowingly.

"Yes, but it's 10 in the morning."

"Nah, it's always five o'clock somewhere when you can time travel," Rufus said with a grin. "We can hop in that eyeball and go anywhere you want."

"Yeah? Can we go to Studio 54 so I can get drunk and make out with Debbie Harry? I've always had a huge crush on her," Liv asked, half seriously, as she took the last dish from him.

Rufus laughed loudly and nodded. "Man, me too. Blondie was the shit. Good choice."

"People can say a lot of bad things about me, Rufus," she said with a smirk. "But they can't say I have bad taste in women or music. I've always been exceptional at picking both quality women _and_ music."

"Good to know," he said with an amused smile. "Feeling better?"

She smiled warmly at him and nodded. "I am. Thank you."

"Anytime," he promised. "It's what I'm here for."

He meant it. For as long as she needed all of them, this family they had created, he would be there. He'd be standing by and ready with a joke or a quip, if it meant cheering her up. _Anytime_.

* * *

Jiya didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before. The solution had been staring her in the face since the moment Liv revealed that date to her. _Her gift_. She didn't need official documents or eyewitness testimonies. She could look back and see it for _herself_. Maybe it wouldn't solve all their problems, but seeing exactly who left Liv at that home would have to be enlightening _somehow_ , wouldn't it?

Rufus was busy finishing the dishes with Liv, which meant she had their room all to herself. The perfect quiet space to let herself travel back in time.

She laid down on the cots and closed her eyes, willing everything else to fall away. She focused on one date and one address and soon the fog cleared and she found herself standing on the front yard of a dark brick building at night. Her eyes followed the sidewalk path to the brick stoop until they stopped on an adult woman holding a small child against her hip. A small child with blonde ringlet curls and piercing blue eyes who, despite the chubby cherub cheeks, was the spitting image of Wyatt Logan.

 _Liv_.

Jiya didn't know what she expected to see when the woman knocked and then turned and ran, leaving her baby daughter with one lingering kiss to the top of her head, but whatever she expected, it wasn't _Jessica Logan_.

Jiya gasped and watched as Jessica rushed passed her and sprinted off down the street. Jiya was torn between watching Liv and following Jessica, but she knew what happened to Liv. Liv would be fine. Jessica was the mystery. Jiya followed her through street after street until she turned a corner into a vacant warehouse and the Mothership came into view.

Emma was seated in the open doorway, looking expectant.

"Well, did you dump the brat?" Emma asked.

Jessica huffed, and it startled Jiya how much it reminded her of Liv, and replied, "Yes, okay? I did. Are you happy now?"

"Happy that we can get back to the mission? Hell yes. Having to cater to your baby schedule was ridiculous. She was getting in the way and you were questioning your place in the organization. It had to be done. You'll be better off without her and probably vice versa. Now let's get the hell out of here," Emma said as she stood and stepped into the machine.

Jessica glanced at the warehouse exit with an anguished expression before she took a deep fortifying breath, wiped a tear from her eye, and marched toward the Mothership. Her final decision was made. It was Liv or Rittenhouse and she chose Rittenhouse. Had Jiya really expected anything less?

Jiya watched the Mothership pop out of existence and felt the full weight of what she'd just uncovered.

Liv was Jessica's daughter. Which meant…

Which meant Liv was _Wyatt's daughter too_.

Holy. Shit.

* * *

 _iv. little darling_

* * *

Liv needed space so he gave her space. Finally, Wyatt spotted her walking toward him, looking ready to talk, but Jiya intercepted her. What the hell? Jiya looked panicked and wide eyed as she found his eyes and frantically motioned for him to join them. She looked serious, too serious.

"What's wrong?" Wyatt asked Jiya immediately upon joining them.

"I, um, took a little trip back in time," Jiya told them as she tapped her temple. "Since we couldn't find any actual information on who left Liv behind I thought maybe seeing them might help us so I went back to October 3rd, 1981."

Liv's eyes widened and she swallowed thickly. She suddenly looked more nervous than he had ever seen her. He could see a tremor in her hand. He'd never seen her shake, not even when she was shot. "And?" She asked. "What - what did you see?"

Jiya's eyes bore into Wyatt's with laser focus as if Liv wasn't even there. " _Jessica_ , Wyatt. I saw Jessica on the front steps of that home."

He lost all ability to breathe. He couldn't take air into his lungs and couldn't expel air out. It was like his brain forgot how. He stumbled back until he collided against the back of the couch and leaned against it for support. He turned his gaze from Jiya to Liv. Liv still looked confused. She didn't quite understand what that meant.

But he did.

And it made so much damn sense.

Everything he felt from the moment Liv walked through the door fell into place.

Was it normal to hear buzzing or feel your pulse in your ears? Because there was a dull roar in his ears that would not go away and a pounding that beat in time with his heart. This was too much. This was insane. It was too insane to be a lie.

Jessica actually had been pregnant. Olivia Smith was his daughter.

Looked like Jessica got her baby girl after all.

Not that she deserved her.

His eyes connected with Liv's and the buzzing and pouding faded. They were replaced by nerves and worry. He was nervous about her reaction and worried this might be too much for her. She was still new to time travel and this would be a lot to take. Hell, he was a pro at it and it was a lot _for him_. He thought Rufus's suggestion of Liv being his sister was crazy enough, but this blew _that_ out of the water a million times over.

"Jessica?" Liv asked him. "As in your ex-wife Jessica?"

He nodded. He couldn't speak even if he wanted to.

"The stone cold bitch that was gonna shoot me at point blank range until you shot her in the leg - that Jessica?" Liv asked as she pointed at his chest, the shake in her hand still present. Both he and Jiya nodded and Liv turned her focus on Jiya. "What the hell was _she_ doing on those steps, Jiya?"

Jiya bit her bottom lip and opened her mouth to speak but miraculously Wyatt found himself interrupting her.

"Jessica claimed she was pregnant when she... _left_ ," Wyatt told Liv with a nervous gulp. Left sounded better than betrayed and for some reason he felt he needed to be as gentle as possible with this particular bit of news.

"Yeah, I know, I read the mission report while preparing for this assignment," Liv said as he saw realization start to dawn in her eyes. "Wait - _wait_. You're not saying...you can't be saying... _that's fucking insane_! Jessica has tried to kill me on two separate occasions. There is no way in _hell_ she can be my mother. Plus, she's - and you too for that matter, Wyatt - _younger than me_."

Jiya offered a weak half hearted grin. "Right, um, what can I say except...wibbly wobbly timey wimey?"

Liv's eyes narrowed on Jiya with a huff. "Is that nerd speak for something time travel related?"

"She couldn't take you back to a time she already existed. It's a time travel rule that we will break, but haven't yet. So, my guess is 1981 was just far enough back to be safe from the dangers of time travel overlap," Jiya offered seriously. "And yes, since you were, what...two? It means you are now older than your parents. Which _is_ what Wyatt and Jessica are, Liv. They _are_ your parents."

"So, based on the context, wibbly wobbly timey wimey means 'messed up time travel bullshit'?" Liv asked as she placed a hand on the nearest wall to support herself.

Her other hand rubbed across her face as her eyes began to water and Wyatt felt the insane need to hold her. She was older than him. She'd lived a lifetime without him and certainly didn't _need_ him. But even knowing all of that, he couldn't help himself. She was still his daughter.

"Pretty much, actually, yeah," Jiya answered softly.

"I...oh god," Liv said as she took a deep breath. "I gotta get out of here."

She turned on her heel and sprinted for the bunker door, passing Denise on her way out. Jiya moved to go after her but Wyatt put a firm hand on her shoulder.

"I got it," he told her with a wan smile. "Thank you, Jiya. For telling us. I'll take it from here."

"I'm sorry, Wyatt," Jiya said as her face crumpled and tears formed in her eyes. "I can't believe Jessica let you believe that she - you deserved to have a chance at watching her grow up and I'm sorry Jessica took that away from you."

He took a deep shaky breath and closed his eyes with a nod. "That makes two of us."

He gave Jiya's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before he took off after Liv. Denise stopped him before he reached the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Agent Christopher, I don't - I don't give a damn about the bunker rules right now. I need to talk to Liv."

"What happened?" Denise asked in genuine concern.

Wyatt let out a dark chuckle and a scoff as he rubbed a hand across his eyes that he was certain were now red and raw. "Well, my ex-wife who actually was pregnant when she betrayed us led me to believe our baby never really existed and then abandoned our daughter on the front steps of a children's home in 1981 where she was passed from shitty family to shitty family and completely alone until she walked through the bunker door a few months ago. That's what happened."

"Oh my god," Denise said in surprise as she blinked at him with wide eyes. "Liv is...I mean I always thought you reminded me of her but I never would have-" She cut off her own sentence and shook her head sadly. " _Oh, Liv_." She looked up and met Wyatt's eyes and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Come on, I'll go with you. Time travel is an awful, _awful_ business."

Wyatt realized then that Denise was the person who knew Liv best. She was the person who saved Liv and had been there for her when no one else was. Time travel may be an awful business but somehow fate, god, or the Force always put the right people in their paths. Jessica could have left Liv at any home, but she chose the one close to DC. The one that was coincidentally close Denise Christopher. Was that an accident? Had she known?

He followed Denise out of the bunker and they both immediately spotted Liv stretched out on the hood of a Homeland Security town car.

"How many times have I told you not to lay on the Department's vehicles?" Denise asked in a scolding tone.

"I'm in crisis. I think you can let it slide this time," Liv fired back.

"Forty year old women are not 'in crisis', Liv," Denise told her with a small grin.

"Oh well, there you go, apparently I'm only really like two years old, so I guess now it's okay to be in crisis, right? Two year olds throw tantrums all the time so I'm told," Liv replied with a roll of her eyes.

"I get it," Denise said as she joined Liv on the hood of the car. "This is all screwed up."

"Understatement, I believe the phrase you're looking for is _fucked up_ , Denise. This is _fucked up_. It's a subtle degree of difference but it's important."

"Yeah, I should have known you were Wyatt Logan's daughter as soon as I met him. Will you shut up and let me talk, smart ass?" Denise asked her with a shake of her head.

That got Liv's attention and Wyatt bit back a grin. The dynamic between Liv and Denise was so similar to his own dynamic with Agent Christopher that it really drove home just how much of a Logan Liv actually was.

Liv sat up and gave Denise her full attention. "Okay, sensei. What have you got for me?"

"Your whole life you have told me you wanted a family. Well, Olivia, now you have one. Maybe it's not ideal - save all sarcastic comments for the end please," Denise gave Liv a knowing look as she opened her mouth to speak. Liv promptly shut her mouth and nodded. "It's not ideal, but family never is. Family is complicated and messy but full of unconditional love. That's just how it works. You asked for family and you've been given the complete experience. Don't run away from him now," Christopher told her as she waved a hand toward Wyatt. "Figure it out. Make it work. This is what you've wished for as long as I've known you and if you waste it I will never let you forget it."

 _Family_. It used to be as foreign a concept to him as it was to her. It took Lucy and Rufus for him to really understand what family _should_ mean. He had a bastard of a dad and he promised himself he would never repeat that man's mistakes. But until Lucy, until Rufus, until frickin' time travel he didn't _believe_ he could really break away.

But Christopher was right. This wasn't ideal. This was not the way he envisioned his own family would begin. But they could work with this. He had rolled with much stranger punches, including one that involved a future version of himself. If he could do that then he could do this.

Denise patted Liv's knee and then slid off the hood.

"I'm going to let you two talk," Denise told them both. "Somebody out there wanted the two of you to have a second chance at this. It's a gift. Do something with it."

And with that Denise turned and headed back into the bunker, leaving Wyatt and Liv alone.

"So," Liv said with a small awkward smile. "I'm your daughter?"

"And I'm your dad," he replied with a casual lift of his shoulder. "Welcome to the weird world of time travel."

"Anything like this happen to you before?" She asked.

"You've read the mission reports. What do you think?"

She chuckled before she answered. "I think it would be weird as hell to look my future self in the eyes. Weirder than finding out my dad is younger than me and that I was actually born in, what, 2019? _Shit_ , that was two years ago. Are we sure this is even possible? I mean isn't there some sort of overlapping timeline rule? Because if I was two when she left me behind and it's been just over two years since I was most likely born wouldn't that mean two of me existed at once? Shouldn't I have felt some sort of negative side effects of that or something?"

"Maybe not," Wyatt said with a furrowed brow. "If you disappeared from one timeline and then suddenly popped up in this one?" He scratched the side of his head with a bewildered expression before letting out an irritated huff. "Who the hell knows really? I haven't ever understood the physics of these time travel rules. I leave that shit to Rufus and Jiya and Mason."

"I mean I guess it doesn't matter, really. If I'm here then obviously it's possible," Liv said with a shrug. "This is giving me a headache."

"You and me, both," Wyatt told her. He gave her an apologetic glance before speaking again. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Liv asked in confusion.

"She played me again," Wyatt said with a bitter chuckle. "I should have done something. Actually looked or researched to try and find out if Jessica really had a child - _something._ She's a pathological liar. I should know better than to accept anything at face value with her. It's been three years. I should have learned by now."

"Are you serious?" Liv asked him in an outraged tone. "Wyatt, none of this is on you. She could have come to you and asked for help. She didn't. Jessica essentially _took me_ from you. She took away your say in the matter. There was nothing you could have done. I don't accept your damn apology because you're not the one who needs to apologize. She should be apologizing to _both_ of us. Not that I think she will. She made her choice, obviously, and it wasn't me."

"It should have been you," Wyatt assured her. "It should have been you every time. You didn't deserve to be left alone like that. That shouldn't have happened."

"Maybe not," Liv told him with a wan smile. "But it did. I've accepted it. I guess...I guess now you have to."

"I can't believe she did this," Wyatt said as his hands fisted at his sides. "She's done a lot of things in the last few years but this...this is bigger than her or me."

He felt Liv's smaller but equally callused hands wrap around his fists and jumped in surprise. He hadn't even heard her slide off the hood of the car.

"Sorry," she said with a smirk. "What's done is done. Don't let her get to you."

She squeezed his hands gently as his fists unclenched and then pulled them back to cross her arms over her chest. The gesture was over quickly but Wyatt appreciated it nonetheless.

"So, what do we do with this now that we know?" Liv asked. "I mean there's no…" she shook her head and chuckled. "It's not like anyone else has ever been through this before. There aren't any self help books out there we can refer to. We're on our own."

"Uncharted territory is kinda this team's specialty, in case you didn't know," Wyatt offered with a teasing grin. "We'll figure it out. Just...take it as it comes."

"Take it as it comes," Liv repeated. "Right. You'd think I would be good at that. It's basically my life story." She glanced hesitantly at the bunker entrance as her shoulders slumped and her face became pensive. "I guess we should go back inside."

"Probably," Wyatt agreed, though neither of them stepped any closer to the entrance.

They knew what was waiting for them on the other side. Hard truths and difficult questions. But, Wyatt couldn't help but think, hard and difficult might be easier to handle _together_.

"Jiya and Denise have probably told everyone what's going on, haven't they?"

Wyatt gave Liv a look that had to be both amused and resigned. He didn't need to answer her because she already knew the answer. This was big news and this makeshift family would want to throw their support behind the both of them. No matter how overwhelming that might be.

"Rufus and Jiya are probably hacking some system right now, desperately searching for information on either you or Jessica," Wyatt told her confidently. "They've got real breadcrumbs now. They won't stop till they find answers."

"So we're both about to be their sole focus?"

"Barring the Mothership making any jumps, hell yes."

Liv let out a long suffering sigh and then chuckled. "Fine, as long as Lucy doesn't force feed me tea again."

She was giving in to their help. Something he was familiar with. He never expected Lucy, Rufus, or Denise to stick up for him the way they did after The Alamo mission. He imagined he probably sounded exactly like Liv once it was all over. He heard exhaustion in her voice and begrudging affection. He knew both of those feelings well when it came to his team. Especially when it came to Lucy looking out for them.

There wasn't much the woman wouldn't do to make sure her family was happy.

"I'm not sure anyone can promise that," Wyatt told her with a grin. "But I'll see what I can do."

The flurry of activity that greeted them when they stepped back inside the bunker was entirely expected. Liv wandered over to where Rufus, Mason, and Jiya were all focused on their computers, furiously typing away, which gave Wyatt a long enough window to turn Lucy around as she walked toward Liv with a cup of tea in her hands. Of course, she had already made the tea. So much for stopping her. He bit back a laugh at her as she gave him a befuddled glance.

"Maybe pour her some Jack instead, Luce," he offered with a smirk.

"You Logans and your whiskey," Lucy told him with a gentle smile and a wink.

For a moment, he regretted not being able to tell her the news himself. He promised himself after the Jessica fiasco that he would go to Lucy first with _everything_. He would use his words, if only with her because Lucy deserved _no less_ than his complete honesty. But the look of understanding in her eyes put him at ease. She had no such concerns about learning the news second hand. If she did he would see it on her face.

He threw one last look at Liv before following Lucy back to the kitchen. Now that Lucy knew, he was dying to talk to her about it. To express the happiness he held back from Liv so as not to overwhelm her. _He had a daughter_. Not just any daughter, either. Liv was a warrior - a fighter. She had demons but she hadn't fallen prey to them. She'd overcome. Before today he had marveled at her as a friend, but now he felt so much pride that he thought he might actually burst.

"I-Lucy, can you-can you _believe it_?" He asked her excitedly. He was certain his face reflected the brightness in his tone. "I mean I suspected there was a connection but I never would have thought - _she's my daughter_."

Lucy grinned at him for a moment and then placed her hand on his shoulder with a soft squeeze. Her caramel eyes studied his face before she nodded and replied. "You're smiling, soldier, so I'm assuming you like this news."

"Are you kidding?" He asked with a laugh. "She's _badass_ and saving the world. Plus," he added with a rare bubbly mirth. "Her sarcasm is top notch."

"Well, she gets it honest," Lucy said as she set the mug of tea down on the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Her dad's a little _too_ sarcastic at times."

"Nah," he said with a smirk. "Me? Never."

"Right," Lucy replied with a roll of her eyes. "What was I thinking?"

 _Her dad. Dad._ Yes, Liv was an adult but...he never thought the would ever hear that word in reference to himself. Hearing Lucy say it made it feel more like a reality than it had up until that moment. _Dad_.

"Found it!" Rufus suddenly yelled as he stood from his chair in excitement.

Lucy removed her arms from his neck as they both turned to face the main silo and Rufus.

"Found what?" Liv asked from her spot next to Denise and Flynn.

Surprisingly, Flynn hadn't said much since Wyatt and Liv had come back into the bunker. Wyatt half expected a smart ass remark but, thankfully, he'd remained stoically silent. Wyatt gave the man a brief nod in thanks and recognition before turning his full attention to Rufus.

"Your birth certificate," Rufus said with a mischievous grin. "I know your date of birth, _your real name_...you name it and I've got it. By the way, you're going to _hate_ your real name. It's god awful."

Liv rushed to look over Rufus' shoulder and groaned as if she were in pain. "If you dare call me either of those names, I will shoot you."

"What if I shorten it?" Rufus asked teasingly. "Gwen? Gwenny? Gwen-Gwen?"

"You know I have my weapon on me right now, don't you?" Liv asked him with a glare.

Wyatt watched in amusement before recognition of the name floated across his brain.

"Gwen? Let me guess, Gwendolyn?" Wyatt asked as he made his way toward the main silo. He could feel Lucy following closely behind him. "That was Jessica's grandmother's name."

Rufus glanced from the screen to Lucy once they stopped next to him. "I'll give you one guess what Liv's real middle name is."

Lucy's brow furrowed. "Why are you looking at me?"

"I'm giving you a hint," Rufus said as he covered the screen with a piece of paper. He gave her a challenging grin. Rufus wasn't enjoying this _at all_ , Wyatt thought sarcastically. "That's why. _Guess_."

Lucy looked thoughtful for a moment and they all noticed when the penny dropped and she understood. He didn't but Lucy seemed to understand Rufus and his hint.

"Carol? Are you kidding me?" Lucy turned a confused stare on Wyatt. "She named your daughter after _my_ mother? I -" Lucy turned to Liv with a sigh and an apologetic wince. "I am _so sorry_. I would not wish that on anyone."

Wyatt put a hand on Lucy's back in a gesture of support. Jessica had made it clear over the years that she felt as though Carol was as close to her as any mother ever had been, but it also had become clear that Jessica knew a very different Carol than Lucy. It was a conflict he knew Lucy wasn't finished struggling with. Thinking you knew someone when you really had no idea who they were was a problem he was very familiar with himself.

They knew Liv's first and middle name and all that was left was the last name. Did Jessica use her maiden name? Did she make up an alias? Did she actually use his name and let him have some small piece of their daughter?

"Last name?" Wyatt asked Rufus with a nervous gulp. Exactly why he was nervous, he couldn't say.

Rufus smiled slowly and nodded as he took the paper off the screen. "Logan. Her last name is Logan. That was the only way I found it. Jessica used an alias for herself but she filled out the birth certificate with legitimate information."

Liv read the screen over his shoulder again. "I was born December 16th, 2018. So technically I'm just over two and a half. This is so weird. By the way, no way in hell am I keeping this horrible name. It's Olivia. That's final." She paused and looked over at Wyatt thoughtfully before she revised her statement. "Well, maybe I'll keep the last name."

"Honestly, you can't really claim it anyway. Our government might have some questions, considering you're thirty eight years older than you should be," Jiya said with a chuckle as she continued to type away. "I found Jessica's hospital records. I know exactly when she was admitted and when she was released. She was going by the name Amanda Owen."

Wyatt recognized both names. Her middle name and her brother's name. That figured.

"So, if we had the timeline crossing technology ready," Mason said thoughtfully as the room turned their attention on him. "We could hypothetically _retrieve_ Liv before Jessica left her at that home."

Wyatt's eyebrows rose. They could what? Should they do that? Would they want to do that? Would _Liv_ want them to do that? Surely not. Everything would change for her. For him too. That was a huge risk.

Denise shook her head at him. "No, you couldn't because technically that would be called kidnapping."

Flynn chuckled and snorted. "We break laws in the past all the time. What's a little kidnapping between enemies?"

Denise rolled her eyes and shook her head. After all this time, none of them should really be surprised by the things that came out of Flynn's mouth anymore.

"That would also mean we wouldn't have Liv _now,_ " Christopher told Flynn with a pointed glare.

Not having their current Liv, or the idea of not having her, left Wyatt with a strong feeling of sadness. He knew this Liv. He trained with her, kicked ass by her side, offered her advice...they were friends. Yes, she was his daughter and he was glad they knew that now. But it didn't change what they had always been. He would miss her if she weren't around.

Besides that, the idea of raising a toddler…

It scared him shitless. He would be responsible for the safety, well-being, and happiness of tiny trusting person. A small _fragile_ person. How would that work exactly? The bunker wasn't exactly child safe. Plus, didn't kids need sunshine and a place to play? They didn't exactly have a backyard and a picket fence.

As much as he was upset that Jessica had forced him to miss so much, the pressure and responsibility of raising a _person_ seemed too great. He would screw it up. He screwed up everything the first time around and it wasn't like you got a do-over with a kid. You had one shot and if you messed them up…

Well, the result was a person like him. Or even a person like Liv. A person with demons and trust issues and guilt so deep you could almost drown in it.

Wyatt glanced over at Liv to find her stare distant and her face thoughtful like she had been struck with an idea. He was certain he wouldn't like whatever it was she was thinking.

A moment later her eyes found Wyatt's and she pointed to Rufus, Lucy, and himself. "Can I...can we talk? Alone?"

* * *

Lucy blinked in surprise between Liv and Wyatt. Liv wasn't suggesting what Lucy thought she was suggesting, was she? They retreated to Lucy and Wyatt's room and the four of them were standing in a close circle. Lucy was almost certain she'd imagined it. There was no way Liv had really made _that_ request. But she had. She really had. Liv's initial blunt statement of "Go back and save me" had stunned them all into silence.

That is until Wyatt broke it.

" _Hell, no, Liv."_

"Um, maybe Rufus and I should leave you two alone," Lucy suggested as she exchanged an awkward glance with Rufus.

Surely this was a private Logan Family moment. Or should be. They didn't need her or Rufus butting into their business-

"No."

Lucy turned in Wyatt's direction in surprise. Both Wyatt and Liv had objected to her suggestion at once with a firm glance at her. In one voice they made it crystal clear that they _wanted_ her and Rufus to butt in.

"You're a part of this decision, Lucy. So is Rufus," Liv assured her in a much softer tone. "Please stay."

"What decision? We're not going back in time to snatch you. It's too risky," Wyatt told Liv with an adamant shake of his head.

Lucy was trying to stay present in the moment but she was still caught up in the fact that Liv wanted her opinion on a suggestion this _huge_. That meant the other woman had a lot of trust in her and valued her beyond the value of a friend. They were family. Lucy should have realized that sooner, and maybe on some level she had, but now it was glaringly obvious. Liv had accepted them as a permanent part of her life.

"Not from the hospital," Liv told him pointedly. "The technology isn't ready for that. I know."

"Then when?" Rufus asked.

The fact that the question was 'when' instead of 'where' should not seem as mundane as it did. Even after all this time, the quirks of time travel life still amazed her. That was when the implication in Liv's answer hit her. _Not from the hospital_. There was only one other time and place where they knew Liv would be for certain.

Lucy shared a look of understanding with Liv before she offered up her guess. "October 3rd, 1981."

The night Jessica left Liv behind.

Liv nodded and turned a pleading look on Wyatt. "Go and get me after she gives me up, Wyatt."

"No," he repeated. "If we do that, you don't exist."

Lucy bit back a sigh. Stubborn man.

Rufus held up a hand before he spoke. "Actually, that's not true. She would still exist. She would just be two years old instead of 40."

She wasn't sure that made anything better, but it was true. They would still have Liv. Just not the Liv they knew.

"Right! You would just have to wait 38 years to see me at my bad ass best. It's not a death, Wyatt. It's a fresh start," Liv told him nervously. "For both of us."

A fresh start. Well, hell, if there was anyone who was ever deserving of a fresh start it was Wyatt Logan. She never knew any man that punished himself more or carried around more guilt than him. He deserved a break. He deserved a chance.

Liv did too for that matter. Looking at her now as she pleaded with them to go back and find her, it became clear to Lucy just how broken Liv must feel. She had just as much bad luck as Wyatt. She'd been hurt and scarred and kicked by the world as equally as her father. Lucy couldn't blame her for wanting to erase all of that. She'd wished to go back and start over once upon a time, when her own pain was too great.

Wyatt didn't look convinced as he turned his back on the group and paced a small path across the room. Lucy could understand his concern. This was a _huge_ decision. Life changing. _Terrifying_. Not just for Liv, but for him too. He would take on the job of _dad_. She knew his own father had not been a shining example so his trepidation at the idea was sensible, she thought. But he didn't know himself the way she did. He saw his mistakes, she saw his strengths. He was caring and loyal and protective and he would do anything to keep the people he loved safe. _Anything_. Every piece of him, broken or not, was made to be a father. Lucy was certain of that.

But maybe he needed to hear that from Liv. Maybe he needed to understand _why_ she would want this. He wasn't going to ask and neither was Rufus so it was up to her.

"Liv, why? Why do this?" Lucy asked her, more for Wyatt's benefit than her own. Lucy suspected she understood exactly why Liv wanted to do this.

"Denise reminded me earlier that I have spent my whole life trying to find some place I belong. I never fit in. Not at any of my foster homes, not in college, not in the FBI or Homeland Security. The only place that ever felt right is this bunker with all of you," Liv admitted. Liv rung her hands as she spoke and avoided eye contact with any of them. Her words felt private, as if she were reading from her diary.

Wyatt stopped pacing and focused his gaze on Liv's face. She finally looked up and met his eyes. Lucy could see the tears shining in them, even if they never fell. She could imagine a young Liv longing for a place where she fit, where people would put her first, and Lucy's heart broke at the idea of her being turned away every time.

Liv continued with an emotional gulp. "Denise also said something else, Wyatt, remember? She called this news for what it was. She called it a -"

"Gift," Wyatt finished for her. "She called it a gift."

That certainly sounded like Denise, Lucy thought. Denise had a softness to her she rarely showed that Lucy suspected came from being a wonderful mom. She had ways of teaching and putting things in perspective that were rarely wrong.

"And she told us to do something with it," Liv said with a nod. "This is what we do. _This is it_. Jessica took our first chance away from us. This is our _second_ chance at being a family. Don't we both deserve that chance?"

Liv sounded so confident and certain that Lucy had force herself not to nod along in agreement. Liv had already convinced Lucy several minutes ago, but really the decision wasn't hers to make. Only Liv and Wyatt could decide what they felt was best, even if they wanted her included on the choice.

"It won't be the same. You'll grow up and be...different," Wyatt warned her.

It was true. The factors that converged to form the Liv they had all grown to love would change irrevocably if they did this. Thirty-eight years in the future she would not be the same person that stood before them now.

Liv smiled warmly at him with a look of contentment and understanding in her eyes that Lucy had never seen from her before. She seemed so calm and assured.

"No, it won't be the same. It'll be better. _I'll_ be better. Better off for having been raised by people who love me," Liv told him as she took a deep satisfying breath as if the idea offered her a strange sense of comfort.

The look on Wyatt's face caused a physical pain in Lucy's chest. He looked so anguished, so conflicted. _Scared_. Scared to lose the person he already knew, scared to be responsible for who a new version of her would be, scared to make the wrong choice.

Just _scared_.

"Are you sure?" He asked quietly as he stepped into Liv's space and held her gaze.

Their identical blue eyes that were deep wells of emotions bore into each other through the blaring silence. Lucy glanced to Rufus and found him holding his breath for Liv's answer just as much as she was. _Pins and needles_.

"I'm sure."

Wyatt didn't waste a minute replying to her answer. He must have anticipated it because he found his words surprisingly quickly.

"This means that I," Wyatt stopped short and then gestured to Lucy. " _We_ \- would raise you. Do you trust us to do that?"

Lucy tensed at the assumption that she would be co-parenting. She knew it was true, but until that moment she hadn't thought of herself as a _parent_. Oh god. Wyatt's fear of responsibility was now hers too. She would be happy to do it, proud to do it. The idea of raising and loving Liv for her entire life was thrilling and frightening all at once. The fear was more intense than the thrill at the moment because Lucy kept thinking of her mother and the millions of tiny ways she'd controlled her. The things she'd vowed she would never put her child through, were she to have a child that was. With Rittenhouse still skulking around Lucy had packed the thought away and hadn't revisited it. But now suddenly here it was.

Could she keep all the promises she made to herself? Could she make those promises to Liv and be the parent Wyatt's daughter deserved?

Liv seemed to sense her distress. She reached across the circle and grabbed Lucy's hand while wearing an encouraging smile. "You'll be fine, Professor. Just never stop bringing me tea, even if I tell you to."

How did these Logans always see straight through her?

The small statement offered a peace of mind that seemed impossible. Liv had barely said anything, but the soft confidence in her tone left Lucy feeling like she could handle being Liv's parent if that's what _Liv_ wanted from her. If Liv believed in her then who was she to question that?

"I trust all of you with my life," Liv said as she squeezed Lucy's hand and then released it. "Why wouldn't I trust you to raise me? Besides, you can't be any worse than my numerous sets of foster parents."

"That is true," Rufus agreed with a soft grin. "It's a low bar to clear."

Liv chuckled and rolled her eyes at Rufus. "That's not what I meant but if it makes you feel better about your abilities to properly 'uncle' then sure."

"Uncle?" Rufus asked brightly. "I'm gonna be an uncle?"

Liv let out a watery laugh and patted his shoulder. "Only if you want to be."

"Hell, yes. That means I get all the fun with none of the responsibility. I'm down for that," Rufus replied with a smirk before he turned a mock serious expression on Liv. "I promise, I will always give you candy and then send you back to _mom and dad_ a hyper mess."

"Gee, I'm sure they'll love that," Liv said dryly.

"Eh, what else are uncles for?" Rufus asked with a huge toothy smile.

Wyatt was still quickly thinking, but Lucy could see his decision in his much too expressive eyes. Her declaration of trust seemed to be the argument that finally convinced him. He reached out and wrapped Liv in a hug, pulling her tightly against his chest. Liv went stiff in his arms for a moment before she melted into it and returned the hug. Liv buried her face in his shoulder but Lucy was certain she was crying. None of them had ever seen her cry. Lucy could feel the tears building as she watched them. It was a bittersweet embrace that seemed to be both a hello and a goodbye all at once.

"We're going to miss you," Wyatt said with an emotional catch in his voice. "I know you won't really be gone but this version of you is my friend. I'll miss that."

"I'm glad to be your friend, Logan," Liv told him in a voice that sounded thick with tears. "That's how I know."

"Know what?" He asked when she didn't elaborate.

"That's how I know you're going to be an amazing dad."

That was the moment Lucy let her own tears fall. Wyatt looked overcome with emotion too. That was the first time Liv truly sounded like a daughter to Lucy's ears. Her eyes shone with unwavering faith in Wyatt Logan. It was the unwavering faith of a daughter. Lucy knew that from experience. She missed Henry every day. She thought her mom was super woman, but her dad…

Her dad had always been her knight in shining armor. Lucy had talked to him with that same unwavering faith. It was a feeling that only the best fathers brought out in their daughters.

And like Liv, Lucy had no doubt that Wyatt would be _the best_ father.

* * *

They were doing this, and they were doing this _now_.

Rufus thought, maybe, Liv would want time but he thought wrong.

"I won't remember this anyway, Rufus," she said. "So what's the point in waiting?"

It took him a minute to come up with a reply.

"You won't remember it," he finally said. "But I will. I'll remember you and this just feels too soon. I know, logically, we're not losing you but I can't exchange inappropriate jokes with a two year old nor can I talk to a two year old about how truly sexy Debbie Harry is. Sure, I'm gaining a niece, but I'm losing a friend. I don't know I thought...I thought we'd have more time."

"God, Debbie Harry. _So hot_ ," Liv said as she closed her eyes briefly.

She opened them with a smirk and punched his shoulder playfully. His expression didn't brighten, he knew. The joke fell flat because he was still upset. She was a part of the team now and he would miss her.

"Okay." She sighed and smiled sadly at him. "How about this, you promise me, here and now, that for my twenty-first birthday you'll take me to Studio 54. You'll have to wait nineteen years, but eventually, we'll have Debbie Harry back. Trust me. I'll see her and immediately fall in love."

Rufus chuckled at her in amazement. "You realize that when this happens I'll be the fifty seven year old creeper checking out Debbie Harry with a hot blonde twenty one year old wing woman, don't you?"

She grimaced and dramatically shuddered at the image. "No, I did not but that is a good point. So...nevermind. Just buy me a Blondie album on vinyl or something. That is much less disturbing."

Rufus laughed, loud and uninhibited, before he replied. "Good call, Gwen-Gwen."

"Oh god, seriously, do _not_ call me that. _Ever_."

"Come on, you gotta admit that's cute and it'll be even cuter on two year old you!"

"I am not kidding, I will shoot you," Liv threatened. Though the smile on her face and the laughter in her eyes looked anything but threatening. She reached over and patted his hand as her expression grew serious. "I know you'll miss me, Rufus, and I know it won't be the same, but...promise me you'll always be this person. Because I'm gonna need you. I'm going to need my caring hilarious Uncle Rufus. I know myself. I was an angsty teenager and I'll need you when I start taking myself too seriously so you have to promise me. Promise me, that even if I'm different _you won't be_."

He squeezed her hand and looked directly in her eyes when answered her. A promise was something important in any type of relationship and Rufus took them very seriously. "I promise. I promise to always be your weird funny uncle who cares way too much, and I promise you will know so much more about _The A-Team_ than you do right now because it is _tragic_ that you have no idea who Face is. You would _love him_."

"Oh god," Liv said with a warm laugh. "Just don't turn me into a total geek, okay? I've got to keep at least a _little_ of my edge."

In a few minutes, he would be sitting in the pilots chair on the Lifeboat and no one would remember this conversation but him. It made the moment both beautiful and sad. He would need to commit every second of it to memory because someday he would tell her all about this crazy situation and he wanted her to know that every version of her was loved and important. She was part of this family that he chose and he would choose her every time.

He would choose _all of them_ every time.

* * *

Wyatt turned back one last time on the steps of the Lifeboat to look at Liv. She had one arm slung around Jiya's shoulders and the other was raised to give him a wave. Her smile was bright and big. It was probably the happiest expression he had ever seen on her face. Jiya's face was wrecked and her eyes bloodshot but Liv looked near radiant. Since making her decision, she'd been eerily calm. He was reminded of all the times Lucy had admonished him for the same thing.

She'd called it annoying.

She was right.

"It's okay, Wyatt," Liv called out from her spot behind the monitors. "Go."

"Last chance to change your mind," he told her as he felt his brow furrow in worry.

Liv rolled her eyes and grinned at him. "I'm not changing my mind. I _want_ this. So, go," she told him as her wave turned into a sweeping hand motion meant to urge him through the hatch.

He slowly turned to go, just before he stepped though, she called him back.

"Hey!"

He turned and gave her an expectant look.

Her grin grew into a wide affectionate smile and she lifted one shoulder in a breezy way he knew she didn't feel before her blue eyes, that were near identical to his, found his across the silo. Her smile never faltered as she spoke. "See you in 1981, _Dad_."

Hearing her call him dad brought a reflexive smile to his face. It just happened. He didn't even have to think about it. He nodded and let out a light chuckle. "See you in 1981, Daughter."

He took a deep breath and stepped through the hatch and as it closed behind him he sought solace in Rufus and Lucy. They were the only other people who would ever remember the Liv he'd just said goodbye to.

There were the only people who would ever truly understand, but then...wasn't that always the way? In the end, it was always the three of them. One team, one family.

"You'll see her again," Lucy told him as she reached out from her seat and took his hand. Her smile was soft and reassuring and felt the tightness in his chest releasing at the sight of it.

"Yeah, in about thirty eight years. In the meantime you get your daughter just in time for her terrible twos," Rufus said with a smirk.

"I thought it was terrible threes?" Lucy asked him with a tilt of her head.

Rufus shrugged. "From what I hear they're both pretty terrible."

"Gee, thanks guys," Wyatt said with a dry laugh. "This is super helpful."

"Come on," Rufus said with a laugh. "You know we all live together, right? If the twos and threes are terrible we'll be suffering right alongside you."

"True Time Team solidarity," Lucy agreed with a nod.

"Hey, even if we get out of the bunker. You're stuck with me, Preston," Wyatt told her as he sat down and in his usual seat. "So, Liv and I will be following you where ever you go."

To his surprise, her face softened and the teasing glint in her eyes turned into something much more emotional as she replied. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

She was already buckled in but that didn't stop Wyatt from leaning across and double checking her restraints. Rufus turned around to and focused on getting the Lifeboat started which gave Wyatt the perfect opportunity to steal a quick kiss, or maybe two, before he leaned back in his own seat and buckled in. Lucy and Wyatt maintained their eye contact, silently assuring each other that could handle being parents, that this was the right decision, that it was what Liv _wanted_. Finally, the machine began their journey back to 1981 and he was momentarily distracted from his thoughts by the overwhelming nausea that always accompanied time travel.

They landed with a jolt and the three of them turned in their chairs to stare at the closed hatch.

This was it. There were here. All that was left now was to reach the home, wait for Jess to show up and leave Liv, and then bring the toddler home with them. They had already discussed what would happen now. He and Lucy would go to the home alone. They were afraid too many people might scare her. Rufus agreed to wait with the Lifeboat.

This was going to be a quick trip. Probably their quickest trip ever. He wouldn't be waiting long.

Lucy unbuckled and stood before he could manage too. She hit the button to open the hatch and then turned to face him.

"Ready?"

No. No, he really wasn't. When Jessica had initially told him she was pregnant he had thought about the kind of father he wanted to be and how fatherhood would feel. He never imagined it would fill him with such paralyzing fear. He'd been in war zones across time, behind enemy lines, and faced down death more times than he could count and felt little more than annoyed. But it was the idea of being one little girl's _everything_ that left him shaking in his boots.

One sweeping glance from Rufus to Lucy and their concerned faces eased his fears immediately because he remembered.

 _He remembered he wasn't alone_.

He took a deep breath, unbuckled his seatbelt and stood.

"Let's do this."

This trip was so quick that they weren't going to bother with stealing clothes. They did steal a car though. They somehow arrived just ten minutes before Jessica showed herself. He and Lucy watched from their parked car a few feet away as Jessica approached the stoop with Liv held against her hip. She stood and stared at the door for a few minutes before walking up the steps. She set Liv down on her feet and knelt in front of her. She smoothed the child's wild hair, straightened her tiny cardigan, and finally place a kiss to the crown of her head before slowly walking down the steps and away from their daughter.

Wyatt knew this is what would happen. Jiya told him. Liv told him herself. And yet watching it happen in front of him still filled him with a blind rage that he had to work his damndest to control. How could she do that? How could she walk away from an innocent little person, _their daughter_ , for the sake of an organization that thrived in control and fear? How was that even a choice?

"Come on," Lucy said as she squeezed his arm and opened her car door. "It's time."

Time. Time to meet his baby daughter. Time to be a dad. Time to succeed for Liv where Jessica has failed. Time to give this little girl the loving family she deserved.

That last thought pushed him onward and out of the car. The closer he got to the stoop the more clearly he could make out the little girl's features. Beautiful blonde ringlets framed her chubby face as her huge blue eyes blinked owlishly at the two adults who approached her. She took one tiny step back, nearly off the stoop, but Wyatt's hand on her back caught her quickly.

"No, sweetie, it's okay," Lucy said soothingly as she sat down on one of the steps. "We're here to help you."

"Help?" She asked with as her tiny brow furrowed at them.

The small scared voice did him in. His connection to adult Liv had been instant but his _love_ for this tiny version of her standing before him was almost more than he could take. She was perfect. She was his, and he would keep her safe, keep her happy, until his dying day. He knew it in his bones.

"Where mommy go?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip and ran a tender finger down the side of the little girl's face.

"She had to go," Lucy told her in a voice that wavered with tears. He could understand why. How did you tell a child their mother wasn't coming back? "But we're here now."

"And we're not going anywhere," Wyatt promised as he finally found his voice. Liv's head swiveled to him and she observed him with curious eyes and a tilted head. His heart nearly burst as she reached a tiny hand out and ran it down his face, mimicking Lucy's action from earlier.

She brought her other little hand to his face and stepped right up to him. Her eyes found his and she smiled brightly.

"Dad?" She asked.

He was stunned. Stunned and moved. How did she know? Did she feel it like he did? Did Jessica show her pictures? How did this small person understand who he was with one sentence and one touch?

His reply came out hoarse and strangled. He was feeling too many things at once and he was grateful he could form words at all. "Yes, baby, _Dad."_

That was all it took for Liv to decide she trusted him, it seemed, because she threw herself in his arms and tucked her head against his shoulder. Her arms had a death grip around his neck.

"Daddy, up. Let's go find mommy."

 _Find mommy._

How many ways could a person's heart break? Wyatt really thought he'd experienced them all. But this was a brand new type of fracture that threatened to undo him completely. Wyatt scooped her up and held her against his chest as he stood to his full height. He didn't know what to say about Jessica so he said nothing. He looked over the two year old bundle in his arms and found Lucy standing across from him with a gentle hand on Liv's back.

It was late and it was dark but there were just enough street lights to allow him to see the tears streaming down Lucy's face.

He adjusted Liv to a one arm hold and then used his other arm to pull Lucy into him. He directed all of them back toward the car and away from the home. He would try to explain Jessica later, but right now he wanted Liv as far away from this children's home as possible.

In the few short moments it took to reach the car he felt Liv's stressed little body go slack and felt her breathing deepen. She must have been exhausted.

The car they stole didn't have a child's seat but they would have to make due. Wyatt opened the passenger side door for Lucy and waited for her to be seated before he carefully passed Liv to her.

Lucy tucked Liv against her chest and cradled her like she belonged there. Like she just _fit._ He was suddenly struck with a sense of calm and confidence and an intense wave of affection. They really could do this, he and Lucy. They could be parents. They could be a family. She was his partner in every sense of the word. They could take this on like they did everything else. _Together_.

Wyatt leaned into the open car door and placed a slow chaste kiss on Lucy's lips as gratitude for her swelled within him. She smiled warmly at him as their eyes connected, as if she could read his thoughts like they were written on his forehead.

"Come on, _Dad_ ," Lucy said as her eyes drifted purposefully down to the two year old in her arms. "Let's go home."

Home. It's funny, but growing up he always thought of home as a place. But now, as he drove toward the Lifeboat with the two most important women in his life in tow, he realized home was found in the people you loved. Not the place you lived. In that car, in that moment, he was home.

And so was Liv.

She was right. They both deserved a chance at family - a chance to get it right. One glance at her little dozing face and the decision was made. He wouldn't waste that chance. He wouldn't let her down.

He would be better. He wound be all the things both Liv and Lucy deserved. He would keep them safe. He would make them happy. He would find a way to make sure the sun never set on them. He felt like he was seeing his first morning after decades of darkness.

The sun was here. The sun was beautiful.

The sun was named Olivia Logan.

And everything would be all right from here on out.

* * *

A week later, Rufus was performing his regular test of the Lifeboat's systems when he found it. A small black flash drive with a small white label on the top of it. His eyes widened at the name on the label.

 _Liv._

As if the younger Liv sensed his discovery, Rufus heard a high pitched peel of gleeful laughter from somewhere in the bunker. It was a sound that assured him happiness was contagious because every time that little girl laughed he smiled. He couldn't help himself.

The bunker had always been a hell hole but, with Liv around, these days it seemed much more like a home than a prison.

They missed her, though. He could tell when one of them felt her absence. They each drifted away in conversations. In those moments, they were remembering Liv. They were the only ones that could.

His fist tightened around the flash drive and he climbed out of the Lifeboat as fast as his feet would allow. He called for Lucy and Wyatt as he moved and by the time he reached the available computer next to Jiya they were already there waiting on him.

Wyatt had Liv thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His face was as serious as it could be while his two year old daughter giggled maniacally. The soldier's lips were still twitched up slightly but his eyes looked at Rufus in concern.

"What?" He asked. "What happened?"

Rufus held up the Flashdrive for Lucy and Wyatt to see and then smirked. "Liv left us a present."

Lucy gasped with bright eager eyes and lightly hit Rufus' shoulder. "What are you waiting for?" She asked. "Play! _Play_!"

Little Liv's giggling faded and from Wyatt's shoulder her face turned serious. She stretched her arms out to Lucy and glanced at the monitor in front of Rufus.

"Lucy, hold?" Liv asked.

Lucy melted and complied instantly, with such an intense look of affection that Rufus almost laughed out loud. Liv placed a sloppy kiss to Lucy's cheek as Wyatt passed her to Lucy. Both his friends' faces went completely soft at the gesture. This little girl had them all wrapped around her finger.

Rufus knew why the Liv suddenly wanted Lucy to hold her though. Lucy was closer to the monitor than Wyatt. She had the better view. Smart kid.

Jiya slid her chair over next to his to join them as Rufus plugged in the flashdrive and opened it up.

"Adult Liv left you guys something to remember her by?" Jiya asked.

"Something for all of us to remember her by," Rufus assured his girlfriend with a soft smile.

"It looks like just one video file," Wyatt said as he nodded toward the screen.

"Should we get the others or what?" Rufus asked.

"Play, man. We can play it again for the others later," Wyatt told him. "I don't think I can wait for everyone else."

"Okay, then here we go," Rufus said as he took a deep breath and double clicked the video.

" _Hello, Time Team_ ," Older Liv said with a familiar smirk. " _Oh and Little Liv too, I guess."_ She waved and smiled at the mention of her younger self.

"Hi!" Little Liv suddenly shouted as she waved enthusiastically at the screen.

They all chuckled and Rufus paused the video to turn to face little Liv. "Kid, you're gonna look like that one day."

The two year old squinted at the woman on the monitor and then looked at Rufus suspiciously before laughing with her entire body. "Silly, Ruf!" she shouted. She turned her head toward Lucy and then pointed at Rufus. "Ruf funny!"

Lucy laughed too and then nodded her agreement. "Yes, he is."

"Funny looking, maybe," Wyatt threw in with a smirk.

Liv threw herself forward, nearly knocking Lucy off balance, and placed a quick kiss on the top of Rufus' head. "No, daddy, Ruf is pretty."

Jiya bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing and then spoke in a teasing tone. "Yes, Liv. Ruf is _very_ pretty. The prettiest."

"I despise all of you," Rufus said flatly. "I really do."

He shook his head and pressed play. This time deciding not to stop it anymore.

He would let Liv say her piece as she intended.

* * *

" _I walked through that bunker door expecting just another assignment. I didn't know what I would find. I didn't know it would bring me a family. I know only three of you remember me and that's okay. Because even if you don't remember what I meant to you, I remember what you all meant to me and I can tell you. Here and now. There's just a few minutes until Rufus, Lucy, and Wyatt leave for 1981 and I thought I could use those minutes to get a few things off my chest. I'm not one for words. I think them, but it's not often that I say them. I'm told I get that from my dad."_

" _I want to start with the people who don't remember me. Mason, Flynn, Jiya. Denise. I hope younger me appreciates what each of you will bring into her life. Mason and Flynn were unexpected support. Mason with his dry wit and surprising wisdom. And Flynn with his - well, I still have my issues with Flynn but sometimes I catch glimpses of the man he used to be. The dad and husband that he must have been. And Flynn, if you're watching, you can be that man again. I know because I saw him one morning while he made me hangover eggs. He's still there. You just need to let yourself find him again."_

" _Jiya, my sister from another mister - your words by the way. Not mine. I would never say something so cheesy. You are fierce and you are strong and you never let me get away with anything. You were determined to be there for me, even when I tried to push you away. I had lots of foster sisters throughout my lifetime, Marri, but none as genuine as you. Never change. Keep being the stonewall of support that you are. I know that right now the only version of me you know is two years old and there's a lot of years between us now, but keep doing what you've been doing. Don't let me push anyone away as I get older. Stand in my way until I let you help. I need that."_

" _Denise. I don't have enough time to properly express what you mean to me or what you did for me. You practically raised me. You were the mom I never really had. Until recently, you were the only person to love me unconditionally. Even when I screwed up, you were there. You inspired me to go into law enforcement. My entire career was modeled after yours. DC Police, FBI, Homeland Security. You were the example I needed in a world that was unfair to me. I am happy that younger me will have Wyatt and Lucy, but she'll need you too. Your strength and your grace and your warmth will be more influential than you can ever know."_

" _Now we get to the three of you who I hope will never forget me. I'm crying. Why the hel-heck. I meant heck. Sorry, little Liv. Why the heck am I crying? I don't do that. Of course, I guess I never had a reason to care this much before so maybe I do cry now. Rufus, I love you, man. You are brilliant and you are kind and you are hilarious. You have been underestimated your whole life but you never let that stop you. That deserves so much respect, my friend. More than I can express in this hastily thrown together video. But just know, you have my respect and admiration. You're going to be a great weird uncle. I am so excited for the younger me to get to grow up with you in her life. She can only be a better person for knowing you. I'm saying this from personal experience."_

" _Lucy, I could tell you had your doubts about who you could be to me. I want to make it clear. I have no doubts. You don't see it for some reason but you are already such a mom. You would sacrifice anything for someone else's happiness and that's what moms are supposed to do. You do that every day. Sometimes in big ways, but usually in little ones. You have taken care of other people your whole life. You're already prepared for this. I know you won't fail. You'll exceed at being a mom like you exceed at everything else, Professor. Trust yourself. Your instincts are good."_

" _And finally, Wyatt - dad - god that's weird. Our lives have been very similar, Logan. We grew up around people that hurt us. We acted out, we learned, we grew. But we were largely alone until a group of nerds decided they needed us. Life before them was one long cold lonely winter. Meeting you felt like seeing the sun for the first time. You know, that first week I was here I couldn't stop listening to the Beatles. I must have kept 'Here Comes the Sun' on loop that entire week. I couldn't get it out of my head. Now, I know why. My life was about to get a whole lot better because you were going to be in it. Even when displaced in time, there was a bond. Even while being older than you, there was still a lot you could teach me. You worried and you cared and you kept me safe. If you did that with me then you can do that with her. You were already a wonderful father before I even knew that's what you were. Little Liv is a lucky kid. She gets decades of you that I never had."_

" _I should probably wrap this up. But I just want to say, if she loves all of you the way I do then you've got a lot of happy times ahead of you. You are all her sun, her light. I'm not saying it will be easy, but I do know that she'll be a lot brighter and sleep a lot easier. Everything is going to be all right."_

" _So, little Liv, here comes the sun. Enjoy it. Enjoy them. Because they are the best family you could ever ask for."_

* * *

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting.

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear.

Here comes the sun.

Here comes the sun,

and I say, It's all right.

"Here Comes the Sun", The Beatles


	2. Long As There Are Stars (Above You)

**A/N:** Oh man, I feel like I have been working on this forever. I can't believe it's finally finished. I hope it matches the quality of the first one. Almost as soon as I finished Sun, I wanted to write more Little Liv but I wasn't sure how it would be received. My girls in the AB talked me into it and gave me the confidence to actually write it. They helped me develop scenes and fragments and discussed song inspirations. They were WONDERFUL and I'm so grateful to have them.

I am also THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU WHO ENJOYED THE FIRST ONE. I know it was a big ask to get people invested in a WyJess baby story so I'm incredibly gratified by those of you who took that journey with me. Hopefully you'll like this journey just as much.

HAPPY READING!

angellwings

* * *

Long As There Are Stars (Above You)

By angellwings

* * *

 _i. you never need to doubt it_

* * *

He didn't know what he expected to happen after he buckled Liv into his usual seat in the Lifeboat, but given what effect time travel had on adults…

He should have seen the mess coming.

Even with the harness as tight as he could get it around the two year old he reached out a hand from the extra fourth seat and held her still. The worst case scenario of her bouncing around the Lifeboat because the seatbelts were too big for her replayed over and over again in his imagination. He thought he knew what worry and paranoia felt like, but he didn't. Not until that moment.

There was just one problem, the harness and his hand couldn't soothe a sick stomach or a pounding head. It bothered _him_ and he was a grown adult who was accustomed to the feeling. It must seem excruciating to a toddler.

Liv screamed and sobbed through the whole trip and every muscle in his body tensed at the sound. There was nothing he could do except keep her firmly in place and pray for the trip to end quickly.

Lucy leaned forward in her seat across from Liv as much as she could and grabbed the babe's tiny hands. She rubbed them soothingly and Wyatt could see her forcing herself to seem more composed. She was pushing down her own nausea in an effort to be present for Liv. If he wasn't in the throes of motion sickness himself, he would be marveling at Lucy's strength. At the moment, he was a little too busy trying to keep himself together.

She smiled warmly at Liv and offered comforting assurances, rubbing Liv's hands and arms as best she could while belted into her own seat. The toddler calmed very slightly at the sound of Lucy's voice and the caress of her touch. A reaction Wyatt knew well. Lucy was a comforting balm to his soul so it only made sense she would offer the same to his daughter. Tears were still streaming down Liv's cherub cheeks but she was no longer howling like a wounded animal. Wyatt would take whatever small amount of peace he could get.

The machine stopped with a jolt and Liv immediately vomited all over the floor between her and Lucy, which caused the return of both the sobbing and the screaming. Only this time Wyatt could do something about it. He unbuckled himself and Liv in record time, scooped the little girl out of her seat, and then opened the hatch.

Jiya, Denise, Mason and Flynn were all waiting when Wyatt stepped out onto the stairs.

"I think they found her," Jiya said as she struggled to be heard over Liv's screaming.

"Yeah, no kidding," Agent Christopher said dryly as she handed Wyatt a plastic bag. "Clothes and other supplies. Welcome to parenthood."

He could hear Rufus mumbling behind him about wishing we still had that cleaning crew from Mason Industries as Wyatt snatched the bag from Denise with a thankful glance. He tucked Liv further into him and ran for the bathroom. He heard Lucy's lighter footfalls behind him, shouting a thank you to Denise along the way.

Liv remained red faced and screaming as he removed her soiled clothes and washed her off. No amount of warm words or smiles seemed to be working. Even Lucy's voice, that had almost soothed her the Lifeboat, wasn't working anymore. Once Liv was clean and in new clothes he cradled her to his chest again and paced helplessly. The two year old had her little arms clutching his neck and her tears were soaking his shirt. He had no idea what to do. And what's worse, Lucy looked just as lost as he did.

They regularly filled in the blanks for each other. What he didn't know, she usually did. But not this time.

Wyatt gave her a desperate pleading glance, hoping she had some bit of knowledge that would help them. His shoulders immediately sagged when Lucy gave him a helpless glance in return. She reached forward and rubbed comforting circle's on Liv's back as she continued to scream and sob. Liv was shaking against him and was gasping for breath. He was at a loss for how to help and he was afraid she was going to make herself sick at this rate.

The sound of her crying was the most painful thing he had ever experienced. It was worse than any fight or gunshot wound or even any pain he'd seen inflicted on Rufus or Lucy, seeing his friends hurt would always be worse than being hurt himself. _But this_ , listening to the sounds of his daughter's pain, was hell on earth. He had no idea how to help her or what she needed and nothing either he or Lucy tried seemed to sooth her. Honestly, he was close to tears himself.

The bathroom door opened and Flynn stepped inside. He looked between Lucy and Wyatt sheepishly before speaking.

"I, um, I think I can help," he offered. He held up a red rubber hot water bottle and then asked, "May I?"

Wyatt nodded as Flynn approached cautiously. He smiled warmly at Liv and brushed one of her blonde ringlets out of her face as he gently slipped the hot water bottle between Liv and Wyatt. He positioned it so it was resting against her stomach and then motioned for Wyatt and Lucy to follow him.

Liv's screaming had dulled to gasping sobs so they followed with bewildered expressions. They were too relieved that something had worked to question it or question Flynn. He led them to Wyatt and Lucy's room and then reached out to take off Liv's little white socks, exposing her bare feet.

"Lay her down," Flynn instructed.

Wyatt tried but Liv had a solid grip around his neck. She refused to let go and he couldn't say he blamed her. He was the only thing she really knew in an unfamiliar place. He was all the comfort she had.

"I don't think that's going to happen," Wyatt said with a worried sigh as he rubbed circles on his daughter's back. Part of him was relishing this, the fact that his daughter needed him, but another larger part of him hated the reason she needed him.

"Fine, then you lay down," Flynn said with a tired huff.

In that moment, Wyatt realized one important thing about parenthood: it made you question everything you thought you knew or felt. Because for the first time, maybe ever, Wyatt didn't bother questioning Flynn.

The hot water bottle he supplied them helped. Maybe Flynn knew what he was doing. Besides, he would try anything if it meant Liv would feel better. His heart was actively aching as long as she was in pain. This probably wouldn't be the first time that happened. He assumed that was normal for parents. But he desperately wanted this moment to pass, for her sake and for his.

Once he was situated on the cots with Liv on his chest, hot water bottle still between them, he gave Flynn a questioning glance.

"Take your hand and gently rub, with light pressure, across the arch of her left foot," Flynn instructed.

Wyatt gave Lucy a skeptical look but she merely shrugged in response as if to tell him it was worth a shot. What's the worst that could happen? Liv was already sobbing a large wet stain into his shirt. He would try almost anything at this point.

He nodded and then did as he was told. A couple minutes later Liv's sobbing faded into sniffles and whimpers as she went slack against him. All three of the adults in the room sighed in relief. It was the first time she'd stopped crying since the Lifeboat roared to life. The silence felt practically foreign. Flynn's tip was working, thank goodness. Wyatt continued to rub Liv's foot until her breathing deepened and she drifted off to sleep.

Liv shifted her tiny body and burrowed herself deeper into his neck. Her little blond curls were sticking to his stubble and her small frame fit perfectly against his chest. He knew then that she was born to fit right there. Born to sleep on top of him as often as she needed. Though, right now, maybe he needed it more than she did. The tension and fear that he felt while she was upset was still flowing through every muscle in his body and having her cradled against his chest was slowly easing all of it.

It also gave him a chance to assess her condition. He didn't know what environment Jessica raised Liv in before leaving her at that home. He thought he knew Jessica better than to suspect her of neglect, but then he had long realized he barely knew _this version_ of Jessica at all. Liv was smaller than he expected and lighter too. He wondered,once again, what her living conditions were like with Jessica and Rittenhouse. Was it normal for a two year old to be this small? Was she underweight? Should they be taking her to a doctor for a check up? She seemed fine but he knew barely anything about kids. His opinion probably didn't mean much.

Flynn knew more about kids than he did based on the assistance he provided a few moments ago. How did Flynn know that would work? Had he learned this with his own daughter? Wyatt felt a sharp pain in his heart at the idea. He knew, without asking, that his suspicion was correct. He could feel it. Wyatt couldn't imagine ever forgetting anything he was going to learn about Liv and how to care for her. No matter what happened, he would store those memories in his heart forever.

He assumed the same would apply to Flynn. Flynn's daughter hadn't been much older than Liv, had she? Wyatt felt rage and sorrow on Flynn's behalf. He held Liv for less than a day and already he knew he would stop at nothing to get revenge if he ever lost her. He understood Flynn _now_ more than he ever had before. Just the idea of someone taking Liv from him was _agonizing_. Wyatt really thought he knew pain intimately before today, but he was wrong. No pain would ever compare to the pain he would feel if someone took Liv form him. It was immediately his worst nightmare.

And Flynn had actually lived it. Wyatt didn't know how the older man survived it. He probably wouldn't have.

He also got the impression that Flynn was an exceptional father. He was so gentle with Liv when he placed the water bottle against her stomach. There was a warmth and fondness there Wyatt hadn't seen from the man before. Was that who he had been before Rittenhouse took his family from him? Warm and kind and loving? Wyatt knew the answer was yes. He knew because he had drastically changed two times in his life, both because of losing love. Losing the people who defined your world affected the fiber of your being in the way that nothing else could. It changed you permanently and scarred you in places the world would never see.

Rittenhouse hadn't just killed his family, they killed Flynn too in a way. The three of them all knew it now. Flynn showed them who he really was underneath all the snark and volatile anger. As if a memory suddenly struck Flynn, a shadow of sadness passed across his features and he excused himself from the room. Even in his desperation to get away, Flynn made sure the large metal door closed quietly. It was a consideration that Wyatt wouldn't have normally noticed. But after seeing Flynn with Liv, it was now glaringly obvious.

Lucy watched him go and Wyatt knew she wanted to talk to him. Her face was etched with anxious worry. No matter what issues Wyatt had with Flynn, he knew Lucy considered him a friend. She wanted to be there for him.

"Go," Wyatt said quietly. "I've got Liv. Go talk to him."

"You sure?" Lucy asked skeptically as she knelt by their bed.

"Yes, thank him for me," Wyatt assured her with a soft smile. "It's fine."

Lucy nodded, kissed him quickly, and then left the room with hurried steps. Wyatt knew the next time he saw Flynn, this moment would never be acknowledged again. Not with words. Not by either of them. But Wyatt didn't plan to forget. He may not trust Flynn completely, but he understood him better. He knew what the other man was fighting for now and Wyatt knew he would help him however he could when the time finally came to save Flynn's family.

He felt his eyelids grow heavy and fought to stay awake. He passed his first parenting trial with a little help from an unexpected source. He knew there were plenty more trials to come but he also knew he wasn't alone. He could do this. _They_ could do this. He had Lucy, Rufus, Jiya, and even Flynn to help him. It wouldn't be easy, but he could do it. He could love and care for Liv like she truly deserved.

He returned his focus to his daughter and rubbed circles on her back. He turned his head just enough to place a kiss on the crown of her head and then closed his eyes. He meant to rest his eyes for a moment but before he knew it he had drifted off to sleep with Liv on his chest. Father and daughter were emotionally spent. He should've known sleep was inevitable.

They had both been through a lot in the last twenty four hours.

* * *

Lucy carefully opened the thick metal door to prevent it from creaking. She could hear no whining or crying beyond the door so she assumed Liv was asleep. She softly closed the door behind her and smiled warmly when her eyes fell on their cots. She felt so much sudden affection that she thought her heart might burst out of her chest.

Wyatt was laying flat with Liv securely held against his chest with both of his hands on her back. Her little body was completely limp and passed out on her stomach. One of her little hands clutched Wyatt's shirt while she sucked on her bottom lip as she slept. It was possibly the sweetest image she had ever seen. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and snapped a quick picture. Wyatt had survived his first trial of fatherhood and it deserved something to commemorate it. Proof of Liv sleeping soundly and feeling absolutely safe with Wyatt seemed to be more than enough consolation. Lucy changed clothes and then slipped into bed with both of them. She turned onto her side to watch them sleep.

This breathtaking image was her life now. Two people, one of them so young and tiny, made up her entire world. They had a lot to learn about being parents. Parents. _Parents_. That's what they were now. That was a strange concept. Lucy spent the years since Rittenhouse made their presence known avoiding the idea entirely. She never let herself imagine it. It was hard enough to let herself imagine a life with Wyatt beyond time travel and bullets. Despite her best efforts, here she was committing not only to Wyatt, but his daughter too.

She was grateful to have them both yet terrified of hurting them. What if she turned out like her mother? What if she ended up being surgically manipulative to the point of programming her daughter to fear failure or disappointment? What if the Liv she met was ruined by her hand? She would never be able to live with herself if she made Liv as neurotic as she was. She reached a hand out and brushed a blonde curl out of Liv's chubby face and took a moment to memorize her.

Long lashes rested against her cherub cheeks and her little lips formed a natural pout. The features were shaped like older Liv's and she could see how the child in front of her would mature into the woman that had been her friend. Her skin was young and smooth, creamy complexion with pink undertones. Her nose and her eyes were shaped like Jessica's but otherwise she looked exactly like Wyatt. She was a beautiful child. Lucy hadn't even known her for a day and she already couldn't understand how Jessica could give her up. Then again, she never could understand how her own mother could give her up either, and she had been an adult at the time. It was somehow worse with a child so young. Why would a mother choose Rittenhouse over their own child?

Liv stirred. Her eyes blinked and then stared owlishly at Lucy. Her arms went around Wyatt's neck and she squeezed him tighter as if she thought Lucy might pry her away from him. Lucy reached a finger out and gently ran it down the length of the toddler's nose. She smiled warmly at her and shook her head.

"Don't worry, little one. I'm not moving you," she promised in a whisper. "I know you need him. I need him too."

She smiled brightly at Lucy and then tilted her head upward to place a kiss on Wyatt's chin before turning back to her. "Share?"

Lucy chuckled and nodded. "That's right, Liv. We'll share."

Liv nodded and then tucked herself back into Wyatt. Her eyelids fluttered until they finally shut again, satisfied that Lucy would not keep her from her dad. Lucy settled in next to them and closed her own eyes. As she drifted off she hoped against hope that this would be the first of many nights with her new family. She and Wyatt had never had the best of luck, but maybe Liv could change that.

* * *

The next morning, Wyatt woke to find Liv had rolled off of his chest and in between himself and Lucy. She had her face pressed into Lucy's neck but her hands were gripping the sleeve of Wyatt's shirt, like she was comforted by Lucy but couldn't stand to risk losing him. He couldn't blame her. Her mother had walked away from her. She was determined to hold on to her father. She was too young to understand that he wasn't going anywhere. The risk of him leaving was just as great as the risk of Jessica leaving her behind.

Lucy, for her part, looked natural with the little girl. Her head was angled toward her so that her chin was resting on the top of Liv's head and one arm was wrapped around her. Wyatt pried Liv's hand off of his sleeve and felt it wrap around his in a surprisingly strong grip. It reminded him of older Liv's handshake. He smirked and turned onto his side to watch both the women in his life, the fully grown one and the tiny one. Both held a piece of his heart he knew he would never get back.

Maybe it was unconventional, and maybe he had gone about it a bit backwards, but Wyatt finally felt like he found his family. His _complete_ family. He loved Rufus and Jiya. He adored Lucy, but in recent years he had felt a hole amongst them. He never really knew why, especially not when he had no idea Liv existed. But now that he knew her it all made sense. She was always meant to be here with them. She was the final piece of their puzzle.

Beautiful and bright like the midday sun.

He started to get out of bed but the minute he moved a small whine sounded from the cot next to him. Liv turned with half lidded eyes and held out both arms to him expectantly. How did she know he was up?

"Up, daddy," Liv said in a hoarse tone that he assumed was meant to mimic a whisper. "Go with you."

He sighed and smiled affectionately at her. After everything Jessica put her through, he understood what she needed and why she needed it. She wanted Wyatt in her line of sight at all times. He stood from the bed then lifted her into his arms.

"Okay," Wyatt said with a chuckle before he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Let's go make Lucy some breakfast, huh?"

Liv pointed to Lucy as she slept and then looked at him with wide curious eyes. "Her? Lucy?"

He nodded and carefully exited the room. "Yes, that's Lucy."

"Lucy nice," she told him, as if this was news that he needed to hear as soon as possible. Her eyes were eager and her tone excited. Then she pointed to herself and caught his gaze. "Me? Liv?"

He smirked as they walked down the hall and nodded again. "Yes, that's your name. Liv or Olivia."

"No Gwen?" She asked with a furrowed brow.

He chuckled at her and shook his head adamantly. "No. No Gwen. We are not calling you Gwen."

She beamed at him and nodded so hard and fast that she nearly pitched herself out of his arms. "Good."

In the quiet of the early morning kitchen he let out a full laugh and then pressed another kiss to her cheek. "You're funny, kid. You know that? Are you feeling better? Does your tummy still hurt?"

She rested her head against his shoulder and shook her head. "Hungry."

"Right, me too," he agreed. "What should we eat? Hm?"

"Mama makes pancakes," Liv said as she lifted her head and craned her neck around. She was clearly looking for someone, and he knew exactly who. "Where Mama?"

He could see in her face that she knew. She somehow understood that Jessica was gone and not coming back. But even if she understood, she still looked hopeful. He hated to be the one to take that away from her. What choice did he have?

"Mama left," he said as he sat her down on the kitchen counter and stood in front of her to keep her from falling off. "You're gonna stay with me now. Okay?"

Her tiny bottom lip quivered and her huge eyes welled up with tears. Her arms went around him again and he felt her face in the curve of his neck. "Mama go away?"

He rubbed her back soothingly and placed a kiss into her blonde ringlets. "Yes, babygirl, but I'm here now. You're with me."

"You go away?" Liv asked as she pulled back to look at him. He could see panic and fear. Her little chest heaved as her lip continued to tremble.

"No," he said firmly. "We're _both_ staying here. You and me. I promise."

"And Lucy?"

He grinned at the hopeful expression on her face and felt relief flood his chest. He knew older Liv respected Lucy a great deal but a small part of him worried younger Liv might need more time to adjust. He was glad to see that was not the case. Liv was clearly already attached to her.

"Yes," he answered. "And Lucy."

She took in a deep breath and relaxed, though her face was still tinged with heartbreak. How expressive could a toddler be? Could he read everything on her face because she hadn't learned to hide it yet or because she was related to him? He knew he was no good at hiding his emotions, not to people he cared about at least. Did she get that from him or was it just innocence and trust?

"So, what do you say?" He asked warmly. "You still want pancakes?"

She nodded wordlessly and sniffled. He watched her carefully as he reached for the mixing bowl and he held her firmly in place at the counter as he reached for the ingredients he needed. He bumped her chin playfully as he started to mix everything together and smeared a bit of batter on the tip of her nose. She scrunched up her nose and giggled.

She dipped a finger into the bowl and he held perfectly still while she reached for him, purposefully making himself an easy target. Her finger drew a line across his cheek and then before he could stop her she was laughing and sticking her whole hand into the batter. One quick flick of movement and suddenly her palm was flattened against his other cheek. He felt the squish of the batter as she moved her hand back and forth across his face and then up to his forehead. He closed one eye and grimaced. He should have known better than to start this. But Liv was laughing and it was the clearest and purest sound he had ever heard. No one could fault him for encouraging it.

He put a finger in the batter and then drew a small heart on her cheek.

She let out a rolling giggle and then shook her head at him. "Too messy, Daddy! Too messy!"

"Oh, _now_ it's too messy," he said with an amused smile. "It's not too messy when you're smearing big globs of it all over _my_ face. I get it."

"Silly, daddy!"

He heard a deep laugh from behind him and felt Liv tense. He calmed her by placing a batter soaked kiss to her forehead and then turned to face the new comer with a smirk.

"Something funny, Rufus?" Wyatt asked his friend knowingly.

"Any of that batter gonna actually make pancakes?" He asked as he sat down at one of the tables near the kitchen. "I'm a little hungry."

"Who?" Liv asked as she pointed a messy finger at Rufus.

Rufus placed a hand on his chest and winked at her. "I'm Rufus."

"Ruf. Us." She repeated before she looked to Wyatt for confirmation.

He nodded. "Yes, Rufus."

"Ruf. Us. Play?" Liv asked as she held out her batter covered hand to him.

"Look what you did, man? Now she's gonna think pancake batter is a toy," Rufus told him with another laugh. "Super parenting already."

Wyatt rolled his eyes at him and then put Liv on Rufus' lap. Liv turned and swiftly placed both her messy hands on Rufus' cheeks. She giggled and then started smearing the batter around while Wyatt grabbed the nearest paper towel and wet it with warm water.

Rufus gave Liv a dry look and nodded. "Sure, okay. This is happening. Are you having fun?"

"Fun!" She yelled. "Ruf is fun!"

"I haven't really done much of anything yet but okay. I'll take it," Rufus said with a chuckle. He looked over at Wyatt expectantly. "You gonna do anything about this or… **.** "

"Yeah, yeah, I'm working on it," Wyatt said as he turned back around and grabbed one of Liv's hands. She wiggled her fingers as he tried to grip them and wipe the batter off of them while continuing to smear batter all over Rufus' face with the other. "Sorry," Wyatt old him with a soft chuckle. "She's a bit of a handful."

"Clearly," Rufus replied with a grin.

He finished with one hand and grabbed the other. While he was cleaning off her other hand she reached to stick her clean hand back in the batter on Wyatt's face but Rufus intercepted her.

"No, no. You little monster," Rufus told her with a smile as he held her small hand in his.

Wyatt finished with the other hand and then started on Liv's face. She blinked and winced and turned her head to fight him as he wiped. It was more difficult than he anticipated to clean off a two year old. He threw that paper towel away and then wet another one that he handed to Rufus and then a third for himself.

Liv stood on Rufus' lap and took the paper towel from him. She copied Wyatt's actions from earlier and started wiping the batter from Rufus' face.

"I help, Ruf. See?"

Her touch was too light to really make a difference but Rufus nodded anyway. "Yep, I see."

"Ruf stay, too?" Liv asked as she turned back to look at Wyatt. When she turned Rufus tugged the paper towel from her hand and wiped his own face.

Wyatt smiled easily as he turned on the stove to heat up the skillet. "Yes, Rufus is staying too."

"Yay!" She exclaimed as she threw her arms around Rufus. "Ruf stay!"

Wyatt chuckled at the bewildered look Rufus wore as he hugged Liv to him.

"What's this about?" He asked.

"She's afraid of people leaving," Wyatt explained as his smile tipped downward. It was an awful fear to see in someone so young. Jessica leaving her was bad enough but seeing the mark it left on Liv felt _worse_.

"Ah, well, Gwen-Gwen," Rufus told her with a soft reassuring grin. "You're stuck with Uncle Rufus. I'm not going anywhere. I mean, I couldn't even if I wanted to but that's besides the point."

As Wyatt started the pancakes he smiled to himself. This morning served to remind him of two things: _Lucy and Rufus_. They were both here and constant, ready to help him and Liv with whatever they needed. _A family._

* * *

 _ii. i'll make you so sure about it_

* * *

Denise arrived for the day just as Wyatt finished making breakfast. She walked in to find everyone seated around the table with Liv on Lucy's lap while Wyatt cut up pieces of sausage and pancake for the child. It was interesting to her how natural Wyatt was with the two year old. Liv picked up a piece of sausage and held it out to Lucy.

"Lucy, want some?"

Lucy smiled warmly at her before she opened her mouth and let Liv put the small bite of sausage in her mouth. Lucy snapped her lips closed around Liv's finger playfully, careful to avoid actually biting down. Liv laughed and pulled her hand away. She turned back to face Wyatt and then leaned back against Lucy, resting her head against Lucy's chest.

It was an adorable picture that Denise never thought she'd see in a old rusted missile silo, but yet it felt strangely _right_ to see a family scene play out in the mess area. Denise set down a shopping bag on the table before addressing the group.

"I have made an appointment at a pediatrician for Liv," Denise told them. "Just a check up to make sure everything is as it should be and I brought a change of clothes for her. And, kids," she said with a smirk. "You're all going on a field trip." She paused and pointed to Flynn. "Not you."

"Field trip?" Jiya asked eagerly.

"Walmart," Denise answered. Jiya's face fell and she grimaced as Denise continued. "For toddler supplies. A toddler bed, clothes, food, everything this little one is going to need if she's going to live with us. Wyatt and I will take her to the doctor while Lucy, Rufus, and Jiya shop for supplies." She turned a stern look on Rufus and Lucy. "Agents will be with you at all times. Do not lose them. Clear?"

"Clear!" Liv yelled excitedly as she reached for another piece of sausage.

"Good," Denise replied with a chuckle. "Wheels up in an hour."

* * *

Lucy was prepared. She had at least two parenting books in her purse, both highlighted and tabbed. When they arrived at the store Lucy handed the book on dietary needs to Jiya and sent her off to the grocery section with a shopping cart. While she and Rufus headed toward the clothes and home goods with a second cart. They picked up the obvious necessities first: toothbrush, toothpaste, bath soap, and baby shampoo. That was all easy and fine until they reached the children's clothes.

Both she and Rufus stared in horror at the section of girls' clothes. None of them seemed like Liv. They were pink and frilly with stars and unicorns and flowers.

Rufus picked up one shirt and held it up to Lucy with a disgusted look on his face. "Sparkle all day? Are you serious? Liv would hate this." He put the pink t-shirt down and picked up another blue and gold one. "This one says 'Princess Squad'. No, no way. No frills, no flowers, no cheery slogans."

Lucy understood his point. The Liv they knew would have hated all of this, but the part of her that was worried about becoming her mother nagged her with another thought.

"This Liv is not our Liv, Rufus," she reminded him. "Maybe she would like these things. We don't really know."

He quirked a brow at her. "The Liv you spent time with this morning, did she seem like a flowers, sparkle, and unicorns kind of girl?"

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "I guess not. But I...well I don't want to assume."

He chuckled. "Lucy, she's _two_. She probably doesn't even know what she likes and what she doesn't."

"Exactly!" Lucy exclaimed. "What if we dress her like we think older Liv would like to dress and rob Liv of the actual _choice_ to dress that way? I don't like the idea of assuming that little Liv is the same as older Liv."

"So, wait, let me get this straight," Rufus said with a furrowed brow. "You think we're going to project onto Liv who we think she should be because we still remember an older version of her? And that if we buy things we think older Liv would like then we're pressuring Little Liv to _be_ that person?"

"I'm worried that we might, yes," Lucy said with a conflicted pinched expression.

"But if older Liv was naturally inclined to like the things we know she liked then wouldn't it stand to reason younger Liv would be too?" He asked as he scratched his forehead thoughtfully.

"Maybe? I don't know I just...I want her choices and her life to be her own. I don't want to try to force her to grow up to be the Liv we knew _just because_ we knew her. Does that make sense?" Lucy asked as she rubbed her temples to try and ease the tension between them.

"To a normal person? No. But to me? I think so? It's hard to tell. I'm starting to get a migraine just thinking about it," Rufus answered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So...what do we do? By that logic how are you and I supposed to pick out her clothes?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes as she contemplated what to do. She huffed and then shrugged. "I don't know I guess we...buy different styles and see which ones she prefers? Or maybe we close our eyes and just pick a bunch of random outfits?"

"Close our eyes?" Rufus asked with a laugh. "Do we need to spin three times too or wear a blindfold?"

Lucy winced and gave him an apologetic glance. "That did sound kind of ridiculous, didn't it?"

Rufus held up his thumb and his forefinger with an amused grin. "Just a bit. Okay, how about this? We buy an excess of clothes. We buy what we like and what we think Liv would like then if she very clearly doesn't like something we'll have Christopher bring it back. And the next time we go shopping we'll insist that Liv is with us. Because she may be only two but I have a feeling she would have a very clear opinion on a few of these things." Rufus placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder when her worried expression didn't fade. "All we can do is our best, Lucy. The fact that you're even worrying about this tells me that you don't have to worry about turning Liv into someone she doesn't want to be." He squeezed her shoulder and leaned a little closer. "Don't think I don't know what this is really about."

"It's about Liv. Nothing else."

"No, it's about your mother," Rufus said with a sympathetic smile. "You're worried you'll do to Liv what she did to you, but trust me. You won't. You are not your mother. If you were I would be completely terrified of you and, as it stands, I'm only a _slightly_ terrified of you."

"Gee, thanks, Rufus," she said as she let out a laugh that reflected the barest trace of tears. She hadn't even realized there was water pooling in her eyes until just then.

"Hey, fear is power, my friend," Rufus told her with a chuckle. "Enjoy it."

"Okay," Lucy said as she took a deep breath. "Let's do this. You pick out a few outfits and then I'll pick out a few outfits. We'll see what Liv hates later."

"On it," Rufus said as he turned and started flipping through the clothing racks.

They didn't compare outfits, didn't ask for each other's opinions. They just threw the clothes in the cart and carried on. They picked out the most basic wooden toddler bed and a crib mattress. Rufus went off to pick out a few toys and Lucy split off to look for bedding. She went as neutral as possible with a set that was white, gray, and navy. When she found Rufus again the cart was overflowing. They checked out and made it back to their government issue SUV just as Jiya was finishing loading the food.

The vehicle was almost too small for all of their purchases. Lucy looked between Rufus and Jiya as they started on their way back to the bunker.

"You don't think we overdid it, do you?"

"Yes."

"Oh, absolutely we did."

* * *

Wyatt, Liv, and Denise made one stop on their way to the pediatrician. Wyatt and Liv waited in the car and when Denise returned she handed Wyatt a document sized envelope.

"Birth certificate, Social Security card, insurance paperwork. All with Liv's updated name. Figured I would cut through the red tape for you," Denise told him.

"Thank you," he told her. "I hope you don't mind my using Olivia. I know that could get confusing for you."

Christopher's brow furrowed. "Why would that get confusing?"

Dread filled Wyatt as he continued but he tried not to show it. "Because...of your Olivia. Your youngest?"

"You mean Julia?" Denise asked. "My daughter?" She pulled out her wallet and flipped to a family portrait.

Wyatt let out a breath, he didn't know he was holding, when a familiar young face smiled up at him from Denise's lap. Same child, different name. That was interesting. Why would her daughter's name change?

"Right, Sorry," Wyatt replied. "I must have been confused."

"No you weren't," Denise said with a tired sigh. "What changed?"

"Just that Julia used to be named Olivia," Wyatt answered. "It's the exact same girl, she's just named something different."

"Why would my daughter's name change?" Denise asked. "Did I name my daughter after yours?"

"You may have," Wyatt told her with an unsure shrug. "You were very close to her."

"I was?"

Wyatt gave Denise a half smile and nodded. "Did you look at the name I told you I wanted to give her? I don't think you did."

"Olivia Logan, yes?"

"The middle name, Agent Christopher," Wyatt said as he handed her the envelope. "Look at the middle name."

While he waited for her to read the documents he turned toward Liv and winked at her. "This is gonna be good. What do you think, babygirl?"

Liv smiled brightly and leaned as close to him as she could through the car seat restraints. She placed a loud smacking kiss to Wyatt's cheek and giggled. "Good."

Denise read over the documents and placed a hand over her heart, as if the words leapt off the page and straight into her chest. "Her middle name is Denise?"

"You practically raised Liv in the other timeline. You meant so much to her. I know neither of you remember but I couldn't let that be lost in all the time travel. I had to make sure we remembered it somehow, and this...well this felt _right_ ," Wyatt told her. "This is what my friend would have wanted. You were her mother when she didn't have anyone. You both deserve to keep that connection as much as possible."

"Daddy," Liv said as she leaned back to glance at Denise curiously. Her eyes came back to his, perfectly round and full of concern. "Agent Topher cry?"

Sure enough, the hardened agent that had given him hell and kept him safe when he made it difficult was crying. She reached behind Wyatt and stroked a finger across Liv's cheek before she addressed her.

"Happy tears, little one. I promise." Denise Christopher wiped at her eyes discreetly and shook her emotions away. He watched her school her features to professional and impassive before she spoke again. "Now, let's get going, huh? I believe we have an appointment. Wouldn't want to be late."

Wyatt chuckled at her and gave her a fond grin. "No, we wouldn't want that."

They arrived at the pediatrician and check in. Wyatt was given a stack of forms that were more intense than any he had ever filled out before, and he was definitely no stranger to paperwork. They wanted his medical history, Jessica's medical history, and anything he knew about Liv's medical history. He understood why they would want that information but the problem was...Wyatt didn't know hardly any of it.

He reached the section about allergies and rubbed a hand across his forehead. These were things any other father would know, but he had barely had Liv for a day. Then there were questions about her behavioral progress. Was she potty trained? He assumed so since she hadn't been wearing a diaper or a pull up when they found her but he could be wrong. How big was her vocabulary? She could manage broken sentences. During the short time he had been around her she managed between 10-20 words. Was that normal? Did she know more words than that? At what age did she take her first steps? He'd love to know that himself but Jessica denied him that moment. The same answer applied to the question asking him how old she was when she spoke her first word. He didn't know.

He didn't know much of anything.

Barely a day and he was already awful at being a dad.

He threw the clipboard down on the table next to him with a loud slap. Other parents in the well waiting room turned to look at him. Their faces were all a mix of curiosity and annoyance. Who was he kidding? He wasn't a dad. How could you know how to be a dad when you never really had one?

He watched as Liv played with a large wooden puzzle at a nearby table. The shapes were different types of transportation. He listened as Liv made various sounds to match the vehicles. How much did she know? How much had Jessica and Rittenhouse been teaching her? She held up a piece in the shape of an airplane to show him. She made it fly through the air with a swooshing sound and then placed the piece clumsily in it's spot.

What conditions had she been living in all this time? He needed to know. He needed to be able to deal with any surprises. He needed to know how to protect her and what to protect her from. But there was no way for him to get those answers. Liv wouldn't be able to tell him. She wouldn't understand. So once again, he was already awful at the one thing he should be able to do. _Protect her_.

He slumped back in the stiff waiting room chair and scrubbed his hands over his stubble. Why did he convince himself he could do this? He would screw this up just like everything else. He heard someone sit down next to him and then felt a pat to his knee.

"What's going on? You're pouting."

He scoffed as he glanced up at Denise and handed her the clipboard. "You know any parent who wouldn't be able to fill out these stupid forms besides me?"

"You just met her yesterday, Wyatt. This is going to take some time. No one can expect you to know her entire history in one day."

"That's just it," he said with a forlorn sigh. "I'll never know her entire history. She's two years old. I've missed so many things."

"Yes, you have," Denise said with a nod. "But you can't think about that. You need to think about all you're going to have. Everything you and Lucy can give her." She held the clipboard out to him and then placed in his lap when he didn't take it from her. "What's in these forms is unimportant. I know it seems like it is, but it isn't. What's important is _her_." Denise pointed to Liv as the toddler moved a wooden car puzzle piece across the table. "And how you care for her. You may have only had a day but I have noticed. She adores you _and_ Lucy. You're both so natural with her. I have no doubt you will be wonderful parents. So that information on those forms is not what matters. Those are things you can learn. What matters, more than anything, is the love you feel for each other. Don't forget that. You didn't have a choice but to miss things before. You do now. Don't let that self doubt I know you have cause you to miss _anything_."

In that moment, she wasn't Agent Christopher. She was a mother. A mother who knew what it was like to raise a child and worry about the multitudes of mistakes a parent could make. He could see her own worry, that she'd worn for years, on her face. But for every worry line he knew she had just as many happy memories to look back on. Agent Christopher was a mother, a _wonderful mother_ , and she was right.

The past didn't matter. What mattered was what he decided to do with the present.

* * *

The agents helped them unload all their new purchases and Lucy felt _overwhelmed_. There was too much to go through and put away. Jiya bought too much food. Things they would never use. Things Liv was too old for.

Baby food. Prepackaged toddler meals. _Formula_. Clearly, Jiya did not refer to Lucy's notes. She huffed and looked to her younger friend for an explanation.

She merely shrugged and replied, "I panicked!"

Lucy let her figure out where they would store all of it. She then went to her and Wyatt's room. Where the small cheap wardrobe and toddler bed would need to be assembled and arranged. Thankfully, they'd been given one of the larger rooms when they told the group they intended to share quarters. It should all fit but it would be tight.

She managed to assemble the wardrobe and fit all the clothes she and Rufus bought inside of it. She even cleared out a drawer in the ancient dresser she and Wyatt had for Liv's underwear and pajamas.

That was the other thing she and Wyatt would have to talk about. Liv had been wearing underwear when they found her and she had made it through last night in them, but how did they know if she was off of pull-ups? They were picking up in the middle of raising Liv and nothing seemed clear.

Once the clothes were but away she set her sights on the bed. It would need to be built. The wardrobe was an easily put together metal frame with a cloth cover. The bed was wooden and required a drill or a screwdriver. Lucy didn't trust herself to put it together. Wyatt was still out with Liv and Agent Christopher. So that left her Rufus, Flynn, and Mason to choose from.

Flynn was out. If he put the bed together and Wyatt found out, Liv would never be allowed to sleep in it. She found both Rufus and Mason looking through the toys that had been purchased. Or rather playing with them. They were building things out of Liv's new Duplo blocks.

She chuckled and watched them with her hands on her hips. "You big strong men want to build something real?"

"We did," Mason said as he pointed over his shoulder. "We built a time machine."

"Two actually," Rufus corrected him.

"Yes, I apologize. _Two_ time machines."

"One of which was stolen by a terrorist and then used by an evil cult to try and take over the world," Lucy reminded them teasingly. "Let's not over inflate our egos, hm?"

"Fair point. What do you need?" Rufus asked with a smirk.

"You guys know how to build a toddler bed? I could try it but I'll probably hurt myself."

"And with the Master Sergeant gone, we wouldn't want that. Would we?" Mason asked. "He would surely blame us."

"Right, let me get the power drill," Rufus said with a nod. "We'll have it done in a snap."

A snap turned into two hours with Mason and Rufus bickering over how best to put it together.

"That's not what the instructions say."

"Oh, bloody hell, I don't give damn what the instructions say! I know what I'm doing."

"The safety rails go on both sides, you've got both rails on one side! Clearly, you don't know what you're doing."

"I have been putting together technology since before you were born. I think I can handle a tiny rubbish cheap bed without it going all to pot."

"How many screws did this come with?"

"How should I know do you think I counted them?"

"I think we're missing a few."

"How many was it supposed to come with?"

"What does it matter if you didn't count them when you opened the bag, Connor?"

"You know, if you're going to sit there and whinge the whole time then perhaps you should find something else to occupy your time."

They were both driving her insane. Wyatt could probably have had it done by now. Lucy sighed and left the room. Tea. She needed tea. You would think one small bed would be a simple task for two of the brilliant engineers who invented time travel, but apparently not. She started the kettle and then decided to wash the new bedding she bought for Liv's bed. She wasn't sure if Liv had any allergies but she thought it was better to buy the fragrance free and hypoallergenic detergent just in case. She made it back to the kitchen just in time for the kettle to whistle and allowed herself a moment to sit with a hot cup of tea.

Why did she have the distinct feeling that a quiet moment with a hot cup of tea would be a rare occurrence for her from now on? She had better enjoy it while she could.

A few minutes later she heard the bunker door open and close and then small light steps hurrying toward her.

"Whoa, Liv! Wait!"

Lucy saw Liv run around the corner and set her tea down. The little girl's eyes had zeroed in on Lucy and she knew just what was coming. Liv reached Lucy's chair and launched herself into the air with her arms held out wide. Lucy let out a grunt as she caught Liv and then pulled her to her chest. She didn't realize the toddler was crying until wet cheeks and a runny nose were pressed into her neck.

She placed a hand on the back of Liv's head and rubbed soothing circles on her back as her eyes found Wyatt's. He sighed and shook his head.

"They pricked her finger at the pediatricians," he answered in a tone that illustrated just as much pain as Liv's tears and runny nose.

Lucy cradled the two year old to her and placed a kiss to her temple. "Poor thing. That's awful." She paused and then pulled back to look Liv in the eyes. "Did they put a bandaid on it?" Liv held up her finger to show Lucy, being sure to place the bandaid very nearly _in_ Lucy's eye. "Who is that on your bandaid?" She asked her as Liv sniffled again.

"Elmo," Liv answered with a pout.

"Well, that's much better than my bandaids," Lucy told her with a soft smile. "Mine are boring. See?" Lucy held up her hand to show Liv a plain tan bandaid she'd placed around her finger after receiving a nasty papercut from the wardrobe instruction packet.

"Lucy, ouchie too?" Liv asked as she grabbed Lucy's hand and inspected the bandaid closely.

Lucy nodded and tossed a playful glare at Wyatt as he chuckled at her.

"All the time. Lucy has ouchies _all the time_ ," he answered with a smirk.

"I kiss it," Liv told her with a decisive nod as she kissed the tip of Lucy's finger. "All better."

Lucy sucked in a breath and then felt her eyes water. It was the tiniest thing, but the certainty on Liv's face struck Lucy hard in the chest, right over her heart. How long had it been since she'd believed in something so simple as 'kiss it better'? How many years had passed with wounds too deep and too festering for a kiss to heal? How long would it be before Liv stopped believing that a kiss had that power at all? Was there a way that Lucy could suspend time and keep Liv forever as innocent as she was now?

Surely, the engineers bickering in the next room could think of something. There needed to be some way to stop the loss of innocence. Even after watching her mother abandon her, Liv was full of trust and faith for the people around her. Lucy yearned to be like that, to have the loving heart of a child. It was too late for her, but she could make sure Liv kept her innocent unspoiled heart for as long as possible.

"Thank you," Lucy told her with an affectionate smile. "My turn." She grabbed Liv's hand and placed a small kiss to her bandaged finger. "All better."

"All better!" Liv repeated with a broad smile.

Lucy stood with Liv still in her arms and walked over to the duplo blocks Rufus and Mason had left out. Liv saw them and immediately wiggled her way out of Lucy's arms.

"Play!" Liv shouted in excitement.

"Okay, okay," Lucy said with a laugh as she sat her down in front of the blocks. "Go crazy."

While Liv started to piece together the oversized blocks, Lucy pulled Wyatt aside. She gripped his chin gently and then pulled his lips down to hers for a quick, firm kiss. She felt his muscles relax as they pulled apart. He shook his head and cast Liv a worried glance. She knew exactly what he was thinking. His heart was big but it wasn't big _enough_ for all the guilt he carried around in it.

"She's fine, Wyatt," Lucy assured him. "She's already over it."

"She cried so much," he told Lucy as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I had to hold her hand still while they did it. I've never felt more like a traitor in my life. The look she gave me just before they stuck her finger…"

She framed his face with her hands and met his stricken blue eyes with a soft grin. "You are the most loving man I have ever known. You are not a traitor to your daughter. You know as well as I do that they have to do that every now and then. Especially because we know nothing about where she's been or how she was treated. It'll be for the best in the end."

He nodded. "You're right. I know you're right."

"So, what did the doctor say?" Lucy asked.

"She's a little underweight," Wyatt told her. "But otherwise completely healthy. He spent a little time with her to try and get a sense of her behavioral development and he said she's actually advanced for a two year old. Also, in case you were wondering like I was, Liv says she _is_ potty trained. Or well, in her words, she uses the big potty."

Lucy chuckled and nodded. "I was wondering. I did buy pull ups. We should probably keep them to put on her at night, though. Just in case. That's what one of the books I read suggested anyway. And speaking of," She said as she motioned over to Liv. Liv was still playing but bouncing from one leg to the other as she did and looking a little too focused on her task. "I think she may need to go."

Wyatt laughed lightly as he watched her. "Hey, munchkin. Do you need to go potty?"

"No," Liv answered with a determined expression.

"I think you do," Lucy told her.

"No," Liv repeated. "I play now."

"Olivia," Wyatt said sternly. "Time to potty and then you can come back and play."

Lucy bit her bottom lip with an amused expression. Wyatt had a Dad voice. Never once had she heard that tone from him. Firm and insistent, but still gentle. Plus, you knew you were officially a parent when you used the word potty at least four times in as many minutes.

He pointedly refused to look at Lucy. She knew what would happen if he did. She wasn't sure why this all struck her as amusing. She placed a hand over her mouth and did her best to make sure the rest of her face didn't reflect her impending laughter.

Liv's little brow furrowed as she glanced between Wyatt and the toys. Her expression looked worried as she finally stepped away from the blocks. She walked over and took the hand Wyatt offered her but gave Lucy a pleading look as she spoke. "Don't take toys. Be right back."

Lucy nodded and bent down until she was eye level with Liv. "Those are your toys, Liv. They're not going anywhere."

She looked satisfied with that answer but still wary. Lucy and Wyatt exchanged curious glances. This was more than just a stubborn toddler. Did she have toys while she was with Jessica? Surely, she did. Would Jessica and Rittenhouse deny a child toys?

As Wyatt was leading Liv to the bathroom, Rufus and Mason appeared. They looked irritated and exhausted. They stood a foot apart and glared at each other from the corners of their eyes.

"Bed's finished," Rufus told them. "Also, I am never building furniture with _him_ again."

"I would have figured it out eventually," Mason bristled.

"Yes, eventually, but Liv needs it _tonight_ ," Rufus told his mentor with a roll of his eyes.

Wyatt turned to look at her with a horrified expression. "You let _them_ put together my daughter's bed?"

"You weren't here. It was either them or _Flynn._ "

He huffed at her and shook his head before he picked up Liv. "Next time wait for me or ask Jiya. Building a time machine and building furniture are two totally different things."

She mock saluted him with a roll of her eyes as he turned his back on her. Liv saw it over his shoulder and laughed with high pitched delight. She tapped Wyatt's shoulder and then pointed at Lucy.

"Lucy funny, daddy."

"Yeah, she's a real riot," Wyatt replied sarcastically with a wink at Lucy. "If you think she's funny now just wait till you see her fall for the first time. You're gonna love that."

"Jerk," Lucy called out as he left, laughing through the word.

* * *

That night they had to figure out bathtime for the first time. Somehow, they forgot the bunker bathroom only had a shower. They tried starting the shower and trying to get Liv under it but she refused and then sobbed in fear. Wyatt had her wrapped in a towel and tucked into his chest as Lucy turned off the water. Neither of them could figure out a good enough alternative.

It was Rufus who saved the day.

He knocked on the heavy metal bathroom door and when they answered it he stepped through holding an inflatable raft and a short hose.

"The thing about being an engineer," Rufus said with a smirk. "Is that I'm always thinking ahead. It's a good thing Christopher sent me to Walmart with you earlier today, Lucy. You'd be out of luck if she didn't."

Rufus set the small inflatable raft down on the floor and then hooked up the hose to a nearby spicket. He filled the raft with warm water and then held out his hands toward Liv. When Liv didn't lean toward him, Rufus pulled a rubber duck out of his pocket. Wyatt grinned at him and shook his head when he realized the duck was dressed like Princess Leia.

"Where did you even find that?" Wyatt asked with a laugh.

"Walmart has everything, man," Rufus answered as he squeezed the rubber duck.

It squeaked and Liv's face lit up. She reached out for Rufus and the duck. Rufus smiled warmly at her as Wyatt handed her over and handed her the duck.

"Thought that might persuade you," he told her.

Her tears and sniffles subsided as Rufus placed her in the water. He then turned to face Lucy and Wyatt with a small playful bow. "You're welcome. I'll leave you both to it."

"Bye bye, Ruf!" Liv called after him with a wave. She held up the duck with one hand and gave him a toothy grin. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome, Gwen-gwen," Rufus told her with a wink. "Enjoy."

Lucy chuckled as she watched Liv play with the duck and hum a song to herself. It was a total reversal from her emotional state while the shower was running. All because Rufus had to forsight to think about bathtime.

"I guess it really does take a village sometimes," Lucy told Wyatt with a grin. "And if we had to have help then I'm glad it's _this village_ that's helping us."

* * *

Mason was ready to have a night to himself. The bunker was loud and noisy and, while he loved this family he'd stumbled into, he needed time alone. Time to sit and be. There was no better way to sit and be than to sit and listen to his music. He pulled out his record player and chose his favorite record, Robert Johnson. _Of course_. He sat down on his bed as the record began to play and closed his eyes. He let the music and the vintage crackles and pops of the record wash over him. Slowly, he felt his posture ease and he worries lift away.

He suddenly felt a tiny hand on his knee. His eyes flew open with a startled expression and found Liv standing next to his leg, watching the record spin on the turntable. She was transfixed for several minutes as she listened to the music and watched the record go around. Finally, she turned toward his bed and lifted her leg to climb up next to him.

She pulled at his sheets and the metal frame and struggled to join him on the bed. He reached out a hesitant hand and gave her bottom a light push to allow her foot to get proper leverage on the bed frame. She ended up face first on his mattress before she rolled over and then sat up next to him. She looked from him to the record player and then closed her eyes as he had done earlier.

He watched her sway to the music and smile to herself as she listened. Her hand stayed steady on his knee the entire time. Mason had never been one to really like children. He didn't _dislike_ them. He simply didn't know how to relate to them. But _this_ he could do. He could sit and listen to music. There was no limit to how long or how often he could do that.

His "yeah", from the mission that changed his life, sounded from the record.

"Yeah!" Liv repeated with a huge smile as her eyes opened and she applauded. "I like this! Again, please!"

"Again?" Mason asked with a warm grin.

She nodded. "Again! Again!"

He needed no further prodding to do as she asked. He started the song over and Liv leaned into his side. He froze for a moment and then wrapped an arm around her. She closed her eyes and continued to listen, swaying gently and kicking her feet as they dangled off the bed.

He heard from Rufus that the older version of Liv was a fan of music, but no one had tested that with baby Liv yet. Mason was pleased to realize that he could now report to the others that young Liv seemed to like music just as much as her older counterpart.

Some things didn't change, no matter how old or young you were. For Liv, it seemed music was one of those things. He worried he would have no connection to the toddler when they brought her to the bunker. He was glad to be wrong.

* * *

No one could find Liv. They had breakfast. They played. They put her down for a nap. Wyatt came back to check on her and she was not in their room. This happened once before and they found her sitting with Mason, listening to his music, so Wyatt checked there again. She wasn't there. No one had been in or out of the bunker all day so he shoved all worst case scenarios to the back of his mind. She was here somewhere. It was a big bunker. It also was not the safest place for a child to be wandering alone.

Lucy and Rufus were looking for her as well. Jiya was checking the main silo but Wyatt knew she wouldn't be there. They discovered that Liv was terrified of the Lifeboat. Lucy tried to show it to her and Liv broke down. She shook with sobs and desperately gripped at Lucy's neck as she begged her to turn around. Wyatt understood. She had time traveled exactly twice. The first time her mother left her and the second had made her sick.

So, given her fear he knew she wouldn't go anywhere near the Lifeboat, but it was best to leave no stone unturned.

He stomped down the hall passed the laundry room and heard a familiar uninhibited tinkling laugh. _Liv_.

"Hey, you know, I don't care how cute you are this is not a room for climbing."

One corner of Wyatt's mouth ticked up at the sound of Flynn's gruff voice. He hadn't spent much time around Liv since that first day. Wyatt assumed the wounds of losing Iris were still too fresh, despite the many years that had passed since.

"No, stop it, you're going to get hurt and I cannot have anyone blaming _me_ for not watching you. You little monkey," Flynn said with a chuckle.

"Up, Flynn," Liv yelled. "Please, up!"

Well, at least she remembered the please, even if she did _scream_ it. When Flynn didn't reply Wyatt peeked around the doorway to see Flynn smiling teasingly at Liv and then looking away from her. He went back to folding his laundry and ignored her request.

Liv pouted from her seat under the table, that they used for folding, and then stood and walked toward him. She stood at Flynn's leg and looked all the way up at the towering height of him. She narrowed her eyes as she tugged on his pants leg.

"Up, Flynn."

He ignored her again with a knowing grin. Wyatt watched in amusement as Liv then grabbed a hold of Flynn's leg and wrapped herself around it. Flynn attempted to shake her off but her grip was too strong.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Just as annoying as your dad. You are definitely a Logan." His words were mean but his tone was fond.

This was more of that Flynn from the day Wyatt brought Liv home. The Flynn that had clearly been a good father. Wyatt couldn't bring himself to interrupt or look away.

Flynn continued his laundry with Liv attached to his leg. She giggled every time he moved. He ignored her, but Wyatt noticed him taking extra high and slow steps. He was playing with her. Garcia Flynn had a soft side. He knew Lucy saw it every now and then. But Wyatt seeing it for himself would always be jarring.

Flynn stomped carefully to the doorway, making a show of straining to walk, and then stopped to face Wyatt. He had no idea when he spotted him but it was clear he was aware of his presence.

"Master Sergeant, I believe this _monkey_ belongs to you," he said as he bent down and pried Liv off of his leg. "I caught her trying to climb the appliances."

Liv laughed as Flynn pretended to drop her and then shrieked and hugged his neck to keep him from doing it again. "Stop, Flynn! Daddy, help!"

Wyatt chuckled at her, holding out his arms. "Come on, Munchkin. Let's let Flynn finish his laundry."

She switched from Flynn to Wyatt and then waved as Wyatt turned to walk away. "Bye bye, Flynn!"

"Goodbye, Majmun," Flynn answered with a tone that reflected the soft smile on his face.

"Thanks, Flynn," Wyatt said as he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I just looked away from her for a second."

"It happens," Flynn told him in an understanding tone. "I'm happy to help. With a rascal like this one," the taller man said as he lightly pressed Liv's nose with his finger. "You're going to need it."

Flynn was right. He was going to need all the help he could get and, as unbelievable as it was, Flynn seemed to care about Liv. Maybe it was time he allow him a small amount of trust. Not too much though. They still weren't friends. They would never be friends.

* * *

 _iii. god only knows_

* * *

Three days with Liv felt like a lifetime. Routines began to form early. The easiest routine was bedtime. Liv fought them on it every night but once they had her in pajamas and tucked into bed the magical solution to her restlessness was easy and Wyatt couldn't say he was surprised.

He always suspected that Lucy Preston was capable of magic. Of course, she would be the one to be able effortlessly put Liv to bed. Liv's bath was done, her hair was combed and braided, and her teeth were brushed. Wyatt held a small sippy cup of water, ready for her to ask for it at any moment, as Lucy tucked the sheets around the toddler.

"Lucy, story?" Liv asked as she reached toward Wyatt for her water. "Sit, daddy," Liv said as she pointed to the floor beside her bed. "Lucy storytime."

Wyatt grinned at Lucy but did as he was told. "You heard her, Luce. Storytime."

Lucy rolled her eyes at him with a warm smile and then sat down on the other side of Liv's bed. "Hmm, what story should we hear tonight?" She glanced upward with an exaggerated thoughtful glance and then looked back down at Liv. "Maybe a story about a princess?" Liv scrunched up her nose and shook her head. Lucy laughed and nodded. "Okay, no princesses." She bit her bottom lip and Wyatt could see her racking her brain for something Liv might enjoy.

"Once upon a time," Lucy started. "There was a girl just like you," She gently tapped the end of Liv's nose as she continued. "But she was all alone. She had no mommy or daddy. She traveled from home to home and family to family but none of them fit. She never found one that wanted to keep her."

Liv's brow furrowed and her grip tightened around her sippy cup. She looked worried and leaned toward Wyatt. Wyatt lowered the safety rail just as Liv's head came to rest on his shoulder. Her arms went around his neck so fast that she dropped her sippy cup to the floor.

"Oh, it's okay," Lucy said before she placed a soft kiss to Liv's temple. "She found someone to believe in her and because of that someone she grew up to be a police officer. She worked very hard for many years."

Wyatt recognized this story. He recognized the friend he lost in it. He recognized who the little girl he held in his arms could have become. He recognized _Liv_.

"But she was still alone until one day...she got a new job," Lucy said with a warm smile. "And this new job, gave her a real family for the first time in her life. She found love and acceptance and a _home_. Just like _you_."

Liv released Wyatt slowly and then settled back into her bed as the story concluded. Wyatt picked up her discarded sippy cup and held onto it.

"And you know what?" Lucy asked her with an affectionate gaze. "She lived happily ever after."

Liv let her head fall back against her pillow as Wyatt rearranged her blankets around her.

"Time for night night?" Liv asked.

Wyatt nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Time for night night," he confirmed.

He and Lucy started to stand but Liv reached out and grabbed both their hands. "No, daddy and Lucy stay. Don't go."

"Just till you fall asleep," Wyatt promised as he settled back down on the floor.

She refused to let them leave as she was going to bed. She never wanted to watch them walk out of the bedroom door and leave her alone. He couldn't bring himself to deny any of her requests to stay. Watching Jessica walk away from her must have been traumatic for someone so young. He never wanted her to worry about that again. He wanted her to be sure of him and sure of Lucy. If that meant sitting by her bed until she fell asleep then he would sit by her bed every night for the rest of her life.

"Good story, Lucy," Liv said as she tugged on Lucy's hand and pulled her closer. Liv turned Lucy's head with her tiny hands and then placed a smacking kiss to her cheek. "Thank you."

"Any time, little one," Lucy assured her. "Anytime you want."

Lucy's eyes met his and he knew she felt the same way he did. They would both do whatever it took to make sure Liv felt safe and secure in the bunker with them. They would try their best to never let her doubt.

She deserved nothing less.

* * *

Wyatt and Liv were up first the next morning, per usual. He took her to the bathroom, helped her brush her teeth, and then off they went to the kitchen to make breakfast. He set her down in the booster seat and tucked her chair in close to the table. He made her breakfast first. Pancakes, no syrup, and bacon torn into small bites with a sippy cup of juice. He sat down next to her with his eggs and bacon and coffee and, at first, he didn't notice anything strange.

He reached for his coffee and noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. A little hand grabbing a sippy cup. The cup lifted to her lips in perfect time with his coffee cup. When he placed his cup down, so did she. He grabbed his fork and began to eat his eggs and she grabbed her child's fork and attempted to stab at bites of pancake. He waited as she clumsily manage to pierce a bit of pancake and then he lifted his bite to his lips. She follow suit. He did each action a few more times just to make sure and then bit back a grin.

She was mimicking him. She ate when he ate, sipped when he sipped. He reached back for the day old paper Christopher left for them, thinking he would read while he ate, but the pout on Liv's face made that impossible.

"Daddy, book, please," she asked.

He laughed lightly and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

He placed a kiss on the top of her head as he walked behind her. She had a small bookshelf on the other side of the common area, that Lucy had been sure to set up for her. It was filled with age appropriate books and then a few advanced books for someone to read to her. He grabbed the first book he could find that wouldn't be hurt by spilled juice. It was a board book with a bright green dinosaur on the cover. He placed it down next to her plate and then sat back down.

She didn't turn a page until he did. She took a bite of her food when he took a bite of his. Her sippy cup stayed firmly on the table unless he lifted his mug to his lips. Everything he did, she copied. It took everything in him not to spend the entire meal laughing at her.

* * *

Wyatt and Lucy were in a meeting with Christopher, discussing next steps for Liv. They all knew there was only so long that they could raise her in the bunker. She would need to be around children her own age to develop properly, she would need sunshine and fresh air, she would need freedom. So, while they began discussing that with Agent Christopher, Rufus agreed to watch Liv. The problem was, he also needed to run diagnostics on the Lifeboat. He set up the large outdoor playpen he made Lucy buy next to where he would need to work. After Liv wandered off during nap time, Rufus was not taking any chances.

He put all of her favorite toys and books and a sippy cup of water inside. He was ready to go. He had it set up next to the Lifeboat where he could check it over for safety and keep an eye on Liv. But what he didn't count on was her refusal to go anywhere near the silo.

Wyatt and Lucy mentioned her having a fear of the Lifeboat, but he assumed they meant being inside of it. No, she was terrified of the _sight_ of it. He was holding her against his chest when he took one step into the silo. The reaction was immediate. She gripped his neck and hid her face before wailing as loud as she could. He felt a growing wet spot on his shirt as her crying continued.

"No, Ruf, no! Don't go!" She sobbed. "I don't _like_ it!"

He teased Wyatt and Lucy for being pushover for the kid, but he had just as much of a weakness for her as they did. He froze after that first step and didn't move any further. He rubbed her back and uttered, what he hoped, were soothing words.

"What?" He asked, once her tears had quieted. "That old thing?" He pointed to the Lifeboat and shrugged. "It can't hurt you."

She gave him a doubtful pout and shook her head adamantly. "No! Don't like it!"

"Because it hurt your tummy?" He asked as he met her big blue eyes.

She nodded with a sulking face and then placed her hands over her ears. "It loud!"

"I'm not gonna turn it on," he said as he dared to take another step. "It won't be loud today."

She slammed her little body into him and wrapped her arms around his neck again in a vice-like grip. "No! Don't wanna." She sniffled against him and he heard a little whimper escape her as she continued. "Please, Ruf?"

He was so tempted to turn around and find something else to do. Her tiny voice laden with tears was too much for his already battered heart. But he knew this couldn't continue. Lucy and Wyatt wouldn't be able to work like this. If she was afraid of the Lifeboat she would scream and cry every time they got called away on a mission. He knew Lucy and Wyatt better than anyone, they would hate leaving if she did that. They loved her more than life itself. She had only been with them a few days but they all knew it. Liv won hearts and minds the instant they saw her.

"Gwen-gwen," he said with a sigh. "I am going to be right here the whole time," he promised. "I won't let anything hurt you."

He turned and pointed out the playpen with her toys on the other side of the Lifeboat and then smiled brightly at her.

"Look, I even made you a place to play. What do you say?"

She gave him a skeptical look but nodded once. Her face returned to his neck and her grip resumed it's strong hold as they crossed the silo and passed in front of the Lifeboat. He arched back to look at her when they reached the playpen and found her eyes shut tightly. He tapped her nose gently and met her reluctant glance with his own.

"Look, we made it," He said with a wink. "You're okay, right?"

She nodded.

"Tummy feeling okay?" He asked.

She smiled slowly and nodded again.

"Any loud noises?"

She shook her head at him.

"Can I put you down now? I'm just going to be right over there," he told her as he gestured over his shoulder. "If you need me you just have to yell, okay?"

"Okay," Liv agreed.

He put her down in the play pen and watched her for a lingering moment to make sure she was going to be alright. Once she was playing with the duplo blocks he left for her, he turned and headed up the Lifeboat stairs. He was just leaning his head in the Lifeboat hatch when he heard Liv yell for him.

"No! Ruf no go! Stay!"

He was down the stairs in a flash at the frantic tone of her voice. When he reached her, he found her cheeks wet and her lips trembling.

"Ruf no go!" She yelled as she cried. "Ruf stay with Liv."

She didn't think-Did she think stepping inside meant he was leaving her behind? He knelt down by the playpen and wiped her tears from her chubby cheeks. He nodded and then kissed her forehead. "Ruf stay with Liv," he repeated. "I'm not going anywhere. It's turned off. I promise. I just have to go inside to-"

"No!" she yelled again. "Stay. No go!"

He sighed sadly and sat down on the floor next to the pen. He tried, but it was clear he wasn't going to get any work done today. "Hey, it's okay," he said softly as he watched her small chest heave with panicked breathing. "I'm not gonna go. _Ruf stay_."

She knelt down and picked up two blocks and then held them out to him with a quivering pout. "Ruf play?" She asked worriedly.

Jesus, this kid was going to be the death of him. She was looking at him like at any minute he could be ripped away from her. The fear of loss swam in her eyes and knocked Rufus for a loop. He had never seen that in someone so small. It wasn't fair. Jessica leaving her on that doorstep really did a number on her. Since starting this job, he'd lost far too much. He knew what that fear of loss felt like. He would do whatever it took to chase that out of the toddler's eyes. If that meant falling a day behind at work then so be it. His heart was failing under the strain of her pain and his.

He took the blocks she offered him and watched her suddenly brighten. Worry transformed to joy and then she was babbling a mile a minute. Some words he heard loud and clear but others he didn't understand. He didn't need to catch every word, though, the light on her face told him more than enough.

"Okay," he said after taking a moment to collect himself. He smiled wide as he continued. "What are we building today, Gwen-gwen?"

"A train! Choo choo!" she ordered as she handed him the wheel bases. "Ruf can help!"

He chuckled at her and nodded. "I think I can handle that."

What he couldn't handle was a fear stricken Liv who was convinced she might lose her Uncle Ruf. What were they going to do with this kid when they had to jump for the first time? Would any of them be able to make the jump knowing they were leaving her behind?

* * *

"You're sure Rufus and Jiya were okay with taking Liv tonight?" Lucy asked as she stared absently at Liv's empty bed.

Wyatt settled in beside her and then pulled her to him until she was pressed against his chest and his cheek rested against her temple. "I'm sure. They offered without me even having to ask. She'll be fine. You know she loves her Uncle Ruf."

"Did he tell you what happened when he was watching her today?" Lucy asked as she settled against him.

"Yeah, he did, but we already knew she hated the Lifeboat," Wyatt answered.

"She doesn't just hate the Lifeboat, Wyatt. She's terrified of it. She's terrified of any one getting _in it_. What are we going to do about that?"

His hand ambled up her spine, stopping at the top to cradle the back of her neck. "I'm not sure there's anything we can do about it, Luce."

"Eventually, we will have to step inside that machine. What are we going to do then?" She asked as her arms wrapped tightly around him. "Does one of us stay behind?"

His other hand found its way under her shirt. He flattened his hand against the smooth skin of her back and shook his head against the side of her face at her last suggestion. He was so caught up in the feeling of her in his arms that he almost forgot to reply.

"I'm not traveling without you. Do you want to travel without me?"

"No!" she said as she leaned back to look him in the eyes. "I _hate_ traveling without you. But Liv...what if something were to happen to us on a jump?"

"All the more reason to travel together," he told her with a determined gaze. "There's no one better at watching my back than you. If anyone is going to make sure that I come home in one piece, _it's Lucy Preston_. And, personally, I would rather die a million times over than let _anything_ happen to you. We're the best back up either of us could ever ask for. Where you go, I follow. No matter what."

"For the record," Lucy said as she brought a hand up and skimmed down the length of his face. "Don't you ever die for me, Logan. I will never forgive you if you don't make it home from a jump with me. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," He replied with a soft grin. The cool smooth texture of the band on her ring hit his skin and the discussions of the wedding they couldn't plan yet circled through his memories, along with hundreds of other conversations about their potential future after they finally defeat Rittenhouse. Of all the topics they covered there was one they had always avoided, even now that they had Liv. His eyes narrowed on hers thoughtfully.

"What?" She asked with a nervous glance.

He removed his hand from the back of her neck to hold her left hand and run a thumb over the diamond on her finger. "We've made a lot of plans since _this_ happened," he said as he nudged the ring again. "But we've never talked about kids, Luce. Why is that?"

She bit her bottom lip anxiously and looked away from him to stare at her engagement ring. She sighed tiredly and squeezed his hand. "I can't pass on the legacy my mother saddled me with, Wyatt. I can't doom my children to this fight for the rest of their lives." He could hear the tears in her voice as she continued. "Rittenhouse destroys everything it touches. I never wanted to think about children until they were out of the picture. Plus, I was also unsure…" she trailed and closed her red rimmed eyes.

"Unsure about what?" he urged her.

She took a deep breath and then proceeded with a wince, as if she knew what she was going to say would sting. "Unsure about how you felt about children, given how things happened with Jessica."

She was right. It stung. But probably not for the reason she assumed. The way he took Jessica's announcement that she was pregnant would haunt him for the rest of his life. He let that blind him to who Jessica was. He used that as an excuse for being a jackass to Lucy. It drained every bit of sensitivity from his body and turned him into a desperate and angry monster. A monster who didn't deserve the life he had now with the woman who loved him unconditionally and the daughter who was a constant bright spot in otherwise dreary bunker.

Lucy must have sensed his emotional nose dive because her hands came to rest on either side of his face as she pulled his eyes to hers.

"Don't," she told him. "We're not those people anymore, Wyatt. I ask for what I want and you don't lie to yourself anymore. We're here in this moment together. All of that was forgotten a long time ago and I won't let you wallow in it anymore." One hand slipped backward through his hair as she brought her lips to his in a slow and soft kiss. "We worked through it and it doesn't matter. This is exactly why I haven't brought it up. Why didn't you bring it up?"

One kiss wasn't enough comfort for how deep his thoughts had fallen so he stole one more before answering her question. "I didn't know...I didn't know how affected you still were by all the shit that went down with Jessica and I knew Rittenhouse's obsession with bloodlines freaked you out. I was afraid of your answer."

"Afraid?" She asked with a furrowed brow. "Afraid of what answer specifically?"

"I was afraid the answer might be a definitive no," he admitted with a heavy swallow.

"Oh, Wyatt," Lucy said as she leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes. "You are so good and yet you still think-" she cut her sentence short to place a kiss to one corner of his mouth and then the other. Her lips hovered above his as she spoke again. "Liv is so lucky to have you. Do you know that? You're attentive and playful. You've made transitioning to living here with us as easy as you possibly can for her. You are a _wonderful_ father. There is no one I would rather start a family with than _you_. It never entered my mind to doubt you. Not once. Any doubts I had were entirely _mine_. Is that clear?"

With every sentence he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. This woman knew him entirely too well. He would never be able to hide anything from her and he was relieved that she saw him so clearly. He surely didn't deserve the amount of faith she had in him, but he was grateful for it nonetheless. He was distracted by his thoughts and almost missed her use of past tense. His hand caressed her cheek as her words finally registered.

"Any doubts you _had_?" He asked pointedly.

"Liv has changed things. I can't pretend she hasn't," Lucy admitted. "I never thought that I could-god, Wyatt I love you, I do but that happened gradually. I had time to adjust to those feelings. What I feel for that little girl...I don't care that she's not mine I love her like she is." Her eyes misted over as she pointed a watery smile at him. "And it was _instant_. The moment I saw her standing on the steps of that home my heart was hers. I didn't know I was capable of that."

"I did," Wyatt assured her with an affectionate smile. "The Liv who was our friend knew that too. She wouldn't have trusted us if she didn't."

"Then you and both Livs have got me thinking," she told him as she hid her face in his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

She nodded against him, a bashful smile overtaking her face as she did so. "Thinking about babies with dark wild hair and blue eyes to match Liv's." She chuckled at herself and then covered her face with her hands. "That's ridiculous, isn't it?"

Her description caused a hitch in his breathing and a skip in his heart beat. This life of his was turning out to be so much more than he ever hoped it would be. He removed her hands from her face and was careful to meet her apprehensive gaze with his more confident one. "No, it's everything I want." He pressed his lips to the crown of her head before he continued. "And I have a feeling that Liv would love being a big sister."

Lucy curled into him and sighed contentedly with a slow and sleepy smile. "Someday."

"Someday _soon_ I hope."

He felt her nod and then place a featherlight kiss to his neck. "Definitely soon," she promised. "One thing at a time though, Soldier. Let's get Liv settled first, yeah?"

He chuckled at her as her lids drifted closed. He wrapped his arms securely around her before replying. "Good call, Professor. One thing at a time."

* * *

They should have been prepared for the day the alarm went off, but they weren't. Liv's hands flew to her ears as her ear piercing wail filled the bunker. Wyatt scooped her up from where she was playing with her blocks and marched her back to their room, motioning for Jiya to follow him. They hadn't discussed how the missions would work. Not in detail and especially not with the rest of the bunker. Denise and Flynn both gave her a scolding look when she announced that she _and_ Wyatt would be going on the jump. Rufus looked as though it was exactly what he expected. He pushed the conversation ahead to the date Emma and Jessica jumped to and what their possible endgame could be. They made a basic plan while Flynn and Denise remained silent.

Wyatt came back without Jiya but with his holster on and his weapon fastened inside it.

"Let's go," he announced as he stalked off toward the Lifeboat.

She could see the storm brewing between Denise and Flynn and Wyatt's flinty gaze. She knew it was coming before Denise opened her mouth.

"You've got to be kidding me," Denise exclaimed with a glare.

"About what?" Wyatt asked.

"You can't both go," Flynn told Wyatt with a roll of his eyes. "That's idiotic."

"Lucy's not going without me and I'm sure as hell not going without her so, yeah, we're both going," Wyatt declared firmly. "Jiya's watching Liv right now, but eventually she'll be needed in the silo to monitor the Lifeboat." Wyatt turned an expectant look on Christopher. "Would you mind keeping an eye on her?"

The look on Denise's face is one Lucy has never seen before. It's a look of appalled disgust. It's more disapproval than Lucy was accustomed to seeing from her and it almost convinced her to change her mind. Until she remembered the alternative was leaving Wyatt and Rufus in the past without her. And that was not happening. Not on her watch.

"Let me just say a quick goodbye," Lucy announced, begging out of the argument that was clearly far from over.

She turned her back just in time for Denise to let Wyatt have it. The words reckless and stupid reverberated through the bunker as Lucy reached their room. Jiya was reading to Liv when Lucy opened the door. Liv hopped out of Jiya's lap at the sight of Lucy and launched herself into her arms.

"Lucy! Read!" Liv asked excitedly as she placed her favorite book in Lucy's hands.

Normally, Lucy never refused a request from Liv, especially to read, but she was pressed for time and Wyatt was going to need her help to get Denise off of his back.

"Not right now, baby," Lucy told her apologetically. "Later, okay? Lucy has to go to work right now."

Liv nodded. "Bedtime story," she conceded as she set the book carefully on her bed. "Later."

Lucy smiled warmly at her and pulled the two year old into her arms. Tears unexpectedly sprang to her eyes. It was hitting her now just how many things could go wrong. She had faith that she and Wyatt would keep each other safe, but there was more at risk than that. They could change anything in the past and the ripple effects had the potential to be lethal. What if they came back to a world where Liv never existed? What if this little girl, currently tucked against Lucy's chest, vanished like her sister? Lucy closed her eyes tightly and pressed her face into Liv's blonde ringlets.

She needed Liv to be there waiting for them when they got back. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to her.

Jiya's gentle hand on her back shook Lucy from her thoughts. "Lucy, you should go."

"Right," Lucy said with a sniffle before she pressed a quick kiss to Liv's cheek. "We'll be back later, okay?"

Liv nodded and waved and placed a kiss of her own on Lucy's cheek. "Bye bye, Lucy."

Lucy rubbed a hand across her lips to keep them from trembling before she replied, "Bye bye, Liv."

It took every ounce of willpower she had to walk out that bedroom door and close it behind her. Her heart now firmly belonged to two people. One of them would be going with her but the other would be here, at the mercy of time and space. Two things that hadn't historically been on her side.

Wyatt stood at the top of the stairs leading to the Lifeboat hatch when she made it back to the silo. Flynn and Rufus were nowhere to be found so Lucy assumed they were already inside. Denise shook her head as Lucy passed and her glare held firm on Wyatt. She didn't know what was discussed after she left the room, but it didn't appear to be good.

Wyatt's hand enclosed around her arm as she tried to pass him and step into the Lifeboat. His teary eyes met hers and his hand slid down her arm to thread his fingers through hers. "You okay?"

She sighed and purposefully avoided his question. "Let's just get this over with. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be back."

He nodded and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "No argument here," he replied. "Took all I had in me to leave her with Jiya and walk away."

"She'll be okay, right?" Lucy asked as she worried her bottom lip.

"She has to be, and if she isn't I'll burn this whole damn timeline to the ground until I get her back," Wyatt sneered.

"Fine by me," she agreed. "I'll bring the matches."

* * *

Denise was furious with Lucy and Wyatt. They had more than just themselves to think about now. She understood it would be difficult to work without the other but if anything happened Liv would need at least one of them to look out for her.

While with the DC police Denise had worked with two married police officers. They were killed in the line of duty on the same night and they left two little boys to mourn them. This situation wasn't exactly the same, she knew. The stakes were much higher for this team than for her colleagues with the DC police, but it was damn close enough.

So, on this particular day, her knitting started much earlier than normal.

Jiya found her on the couch with her knitting needles in hand, furiously looping stitch after stitch.

"Are they gone?" Jiya asked cautiously as she clutched Liv against her side.

Denise nodded with pursed critical lips. "Against my better judgement, yes."

"Right," Jiya said awkwardly. "Well, I need to get to my post so can I leave her with you?"

"Sure, I'm mad at her parents not her," Denise said as she nodded to the empty side of the couch.

"O- _kay_ ," Jiya answered with raised brows as she set Liv down next to Denise. "Good to know."

"Bye, Ji-Ji," Liv said brightly as Jiya walked away from them.

"Bye, munchkin," Jiya called over her shoulder with a chuckle.

Liv turned her eyes to Denise and tilted her head as she watched her knit.

"What that?" She asked as she pointed to the scarf that was loosely forming between Denise's needles.

"A scarf," Denise answered as she took the small length that had formed and wrapped it around Liv's neck. "See?"

"Agent Topher make?"

Liv's tiny hands clamped down around the unfinished scarf as her eyes met Denise's.

Agent Christopher nodded. "Yes, I'm making it."

"I help?"

It took her longer than it should have to respond simply because she couldn't think of a way a two year old could help. Finally, she decided to let Liv hold her yarn. It wasn't really help she needed but it would make Liv feel like she was helping and that was what mattered. Liv reverently set the ball of yarn in her lap and held it very carefully, as if it might break.

As she knitted she watched Liv. She wondered if Wyatt and Lucy realized just how lucky they were? Denise's own children weren't this well tempered as toddlers. Liv was an exceptionally good child. She hadn't started testing her limits yet, but that was bound to be coming soon. Once Liv became comfortable enough in this space with Lucy and Wyatt, she would start pushing the rules and discovering how far she could take it before she would get in trouble. There was also the hide and seek phase which Liv had demonstrated a little bit of earlier in the week. But right now, she was being happy and helpful.

The mother in Denise worried that her good temperament was a result of something else. Wyatt had mentioned a few things to her that were tell-tale signs of neglect. The worry that toys would be taken away, the gut wrenching fear that people would leave her, the fact that she was quite a bit underweight for her age. She hoped that Jessica was a good mother despite her Rittenhouse connections, for Liv's sake, and the child was mostly happy and healthy so Jessica Logan couldn't have been a horrible parent. But Denise wasn't so sure she was a _good_ parent either. Not being horrible at something did not make you good at it.

Denise finished off her scarf at about half the length she intended and then winked at Liv as she wrapped around the toddler's neck.

"For you," Denise said with a warm smile.

"Pretty," Liv said as she clutched it closer to her. "Thank you, Topher."

"You're welcome." She glanced down at her watch to find that it was just now lunchtime. The team had been gone just over an hour. "Are you hungry?"

Liv nodded eagerly and then climbed down from the couch. Denise was ready to catch her if she fell but Liv managed it. She then chased the toddler into the kitchen as Liv ran toward her booster seat. Lunch with a toddler, as Denise recalled it, was very simple. Deli meats and cheeses and fruit would be sufficient. Liv munched happily, humming a song to herself, as Denise made her own sandwich.

What was she going to do with Liv all day? Wouldn't she eventually notice that Lucy and Wyatt had been gone for longer than normal? She seemed fine now, but there was no telling how long she would remain that way. The only solution was to keep her busy. After lunch they played a variety of things. They built a zoo out of blocks, put together large wooden puzzles, colored and drew. It wasn't until after dinner when Denise put on a movie for Liv that the toddler noticed anyone missing.

"Daddy and Lucy?" She asked as the opening scene of _Moana_ began to play.

"Still working," Denise answered. "They'll be back soon."

All she could do was hope she hadn't just lied to the child. Lucy and Wyatt knew the risks. They knew it was just as important to be in the present as it was to be in the past. They would make it back to Liv in one piece. They had to.

Liv's eyes narrowed at Denise's answer and she let out an exaggerated huff. "Okay."

Denise chuckled at her. Clearly, she didn't like it, but she would accept it. Once the movie ended, the real problem became clear. She tried to usher Liv toward the bedroom to get ready for bed, but Liv refused. She planted her feet firmly and pulled against Denise's arm that held her hand.

"No! I wait!"

She wrenched her hand from Denise's grip and sat cross legged on the floor.

"Lucy read story. I wait," Liv said with a decisive nod and a pout.

Denise sighed tiredly. There was that hard Logan head. She should have seen it coming. These Logans were always waiting on Lucy. It had to be genetic.

"They may not be back until late," Denise said as she sat down across from her. "Lucy may have to read to you tomorrow."

"No!"

Denise nodded. "Right, okay. What if I read to you?"

"No! Want Lucy!"

"Liv-"

"Want Lucy!" She shouted again. "Want daddy!"

This was more like the obstinate two year olds she remembered raising. But this outburst was understandable to Denise. Liv had one parent walk away from her already. Even if she didn't fully understand, it left a scar. Lucy and Wyatt stepped in to love her the way she deserved and Liv wanted that comfort back. Seven hours may seem like nothing to Denise but it was an eternity to a toddler.

As if the Universe heard Liv's request, the sirens suddenly began to wail indicating that the Lifeboat was coming home. _Thank God_. Denise picked Liv up off of the floor and held her tightly despite her crying and kicking. Little hands covered her ears and she pressed her face into Denise's shoulder. As Denise neared the main silo, Liv's crying increased in volume and nearly overpowered the sirens.

"No! Don't like it!"

"You will," Denise promised against the shell of Liv's ear. "You'll like this."

"Too loud! Don't like it!"

Denise stood beside of Jiya, looking out over the silo while tears streamed down Liv's face. Her chest was heaving and her fists had curled into her blouse. Denise rubbed her back and murmured comforting words, but it wasn't until the sirens cut off and the familiar woosh of the Lifeboat filled the air that Liv stopped crying. Denise angled her so that Liv could see the giant orb-like machine and pointed to the hatch.

"Watch there," Denise told her. "You'll like it. Promise."

Mason slid the stairs into place just as the hatch opened. Rufus stepped out first and Liv clapped excitedly before wiping her wet cheeks on her sleeves. She pointed to Rufus and then turned to find Jiya.

"Ji-Ji, look! Ruf!"

Jiya laughed and nodded. "I see."

Rufus descended the stairs followed by Flynn. Flynn nodded at Liv's wild wave and then hurried off to his room while Rufus approached and held out a fist toward Liv.

"Pound it, Gwen-Gwen," he requested.

Rufus looked tired and covered in grime. There were rips and snags in his period clothes, but his smile was bright as it fell on the toddler. She met his larger fist with her tiny one and giggled. Once that was done Rufus made his way to Jiya and pulled her close.

"You stink," Jiya told him as she scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"You try running around a colonial farm in a time before deodorant and see what you come home smelling like," Rufus challenged as he continued to embrace her.

Wyatt appeared at the top of the stairs next and Liv nearly jumped from Denise's arms. She gasped and wiggled and fought against the hold Agent Christopher had on her.

"Daddy!" she yelled when it was clear she wasn't getting down.

Wyatt's eyes found Liv's as he helped Lucy out of the Lifeboat and the relief Denise saw in them was palpable. He and Lucy exchanged a look and Agent Christopher could hear the silent conversation happening between them. Nothing vital had changed. No further losses had occured. Both Wyatt and Lucy sprinted the short distance between the time machine and Liv. Wyatt wasted no time taking Liv from Denise and pressing a kiss to the little girl's forehead.

"So glad to see you, babygirl," Wyatt muttered against her skin.

Liv wrapped her arms around Wyatt as tightly as she could and laid her head against his shoulder. She looked absolutely content to stay right there, despite the stench of colonial times that Denise could smell from where she stood.

"How was she?" Lucy asked as she looked from Liv to Denise.

"She was great until right at the end. Let's just say, she missed her Lucy and her dad and I am glad you two are back in time to put her to bed. There is no way she would have let me even try it," Denise said honestly.

"Lucy, story! 'Member?" Liv said as she reached for her.

Lucy let out a watery laugh and nodded as Wyatt passed Liv to her. "I remember. But first I think we all need to wash up."

Liv nodded and then pinched her face at Lucy. "Daddy and Lucy smell _bad_."

"Gee thanks, kid," Wyatt said with a chuckle. "Love you too."

* * *

Today marked one week since they went to the past to find Liv. One week since he first saw her on those steps, alone and scared. One week since he'd lost his friend but found a daughter. Rufus was running diagnostics on the Lifeboat, Lucy was researching the ramifications of their last jump, and Wyatt was watching Liv.

It hadn't been easy to adjust to life with a toddler, but it hadn't been as difficult as he thought it would be either. She fit. She fit in the bunker with all of them. It was almost as if she had always been there. Denise brought Liv a play kitchen, a hand me down toy that had once belonged to her daughter, and Liv was loving it.

So far, she brought Wyatt nearly all the plastic food the kitchen came with on various plates. He had them all sitting out on the coffee table next to him. She would hand him a plastic apple on a plate, he'd pretend to take a big bite, and she would laugh like it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. It melted his heart every time.

"What are you making over there, babygirl?" He asked as he crawled across the floor to her.

"Pancakes. I cook. Like daddy," she told him with a beaming smile. She had a toy spatula in one hand and a plastic skillet on the pretend stove.

"Looks good," he said as he sat behind her and lightly placed his chin on her shoulder.

He gently poked her side. She giggled and stepped away from his hand. "Daddy, no! No tickle!"

"Did you say tickle?" He asked with a grin.

His hands skimmed her sides as her merry laugh filled the bunker. Her tiny body folded against his chest as she shook her head at him.

"No, daddy! _No_ tickle!"

He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her with him as he stood, throwing her over his shoulder with one firm arm, and then using his free hand to tickle her socked feet. She kicked and laughed wildly as she clutched the back of his shirt.

"Lucy! Wyatt!"

All movement stopped at the sound of Rufus' voice. Wyatt held Liv solidly as he made his way to the main silo and the computers where Rufus and Jiya were currently working. Liv giggled as she bounced and, despite the panic that filled him at Rufus' call, he felt the corners of his lips twitch upward.

"What?" He asked as Rufus came into view. "What happened?"

Rufus held up a flashdrive and then glanced from Wyatt to Lucy with a smirk. "Liv left us a present."

* * *

" _So, Little Liv, here comes the sun. Enjoy it. Enjoy them. Because they are the best family you could ever ask for."_

Lucy could hardly see the video through her tears. The little version of Liv in her arms seemed to sense this and wrapped her small body around Lucy as tightly as she could.

"Lucy, sad?" Liv asked in concern.

Lucy kissed the top of Liv's head before she nodded. "Yes, little one. Lucy sad."

Liv's body went slack against Lucy's as she cuddled herself against Lucy's chest. "S'okay," Liv told her softly. She lifted up for a moment and kissed Lucy's jaw. "I hold you."

All that did was make Lucy cry harder. How the hell did she get this lucky? She lived through years of pain and heartbreak and loss. So, how did her life come to this? Her track record over the last few years was tragically awful. Was the Universe or God or whatever power-that-be finally _giving_ her something instead of taking it? She'd been given a family, granted it wasn't the one she was born to, a man that loved her, and a little girl who was currently holding her through her tears. It was too good to be true.

Too beautiful to be real.

Suddenly, Wyatt was there too. He pulled both Lucy and Liv against him and pressed his lips to the top of Lucy's head.

Yes, they missed their friend. They never wanted to lose her. Just like Lucy never wanted to lose her sister or her mother. But somehow, the precious little girl in her arms made all the losses worth it. It was truly remarkable.

* * *

Jiya was supposed to be watching Liv while the others were on a mission. Mason was manning the monitors and it was Jiya's turn. So it probably wasn't good that she couldn't find her right? That was most likely bad. Liv had been seeking out hiding spots lately and jumping out at them at random times. She thought it was funny to watch them look for her and then reveal herself when their panic was at it's peak.

It wasn't and Lucy and Wyatt had told her so.

She still did it anyway.

Like a typical Logan.

Jiya had searched all over the bunker but she had neglected Lucy and Wyatt's room. Usually that was the last place Liv would hide, but Jiya had searched everywhere else. She carefully slid the door open and brought a shocked hand to her mouth at the sight that greeted her. _Oh no_.

"You little rascal," Jiya said as she bit back a laugh.

Liv turned to look at her with a huge red painted smile. "Ji-Ji, I Lucy!"

This time Jiya did laugh as she took in the red lipstick that somehow covered Liv from the tip of her nose to the curved edge of her chin, the powdered blush that was bright red against Liv's baby soft cherub cheeks, and the dark brown eye shadow that saturated Liv's lids from her brow to underneath her long bottom lashes.

"Munchkin, what have you done?" Jiya asked her with a chuckle.

"Play!" Liv said as she held out the mutilated lipstick tube.

Jiya shook her head and took the lipstick from Liv's hand. "Nope. Not for play. I've got to clean you up before your parents get home. They will _kill me_."

Liv pointed to her face and grinned, lipstick saturating her teeth. "I pretty?"

Jiya nodded as she picked Liv up off the floor. "Very pretty. The prettiest."

"Like Ji-Ji and Lucy?" Liv asked as she placed her make up covered hands on Jiya's cheeks.

Jiya could feel the mix of creamy lipstick and dry powdery eyeshadow as it stained her cheeks but smiled anyway at the toddler's compliment. "Yes, like Ji-Ji and Lucy."

"Yay!" She exclaimed as she clapped her messy hands.

Eyeshadow dust billowed comically through the air as Jiya carried her out of the room. "You're lucky you're so cute, you little monster."

"Yep!" Liv agreed.

Jiya laughed loudly and shook her head. "Oh good, and you know it. Wyatt and Lucy are in for it when you hit your teenage years. I wish them luck."

* * *

 _iv. if you should ever leave me_

* * *

Jiya was giving Liv a bath when the Lifeboat touched down that night and Lucy was eternally grateful for that. The last thing she would ever want was for Liv to see any of them wounded and bloody. Wyatt was near frantic as he carried her to their improvised infirmary. Rufus walked with them, with his hands pressed against her shoulder as warm red liquid blossomed over the bodice of her dress.

One weak question to Christopher as she passed told her where Liv was and somehow that felt like permission for her eyelids to droop and close.

"Hey, Lucy, no," Wyatt said sternly. "Stay with me, okay? Christopher's getting a medic. Just a little bit longer."

But try as she might, keeping her eyes open was no longer an option. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire and her entire body felt weak. She had no strength left to stay awake. She heard Wyatt call her name one last time as the world went black around her. The next time she woke, even the soft yellow light of the bunker felt too bright so her eyes remained shut. But she could hear Wyatt talking to the medic.

Nothing vital was hit. She was lucky to have lost such little blood. She would be fine with antibiotics, painkillers, and some rest. She drifted back to sleep as she felt Wyatt's lips brush her forehead with a grateful kiss.

Her eyes were able to finally open the next time consciousness washed over her. Wyatt was asleep in a chair next to infirmary cot. He looked horribly uncomfortable. She smiled softly at him and then frowned as another sound hit her ears.

High pitched but soft crying and whispered comforting assurances.

They were coming from outside the door.

 _Liv_.

Lucy carefully placed her feet on the floor and stood very slowly. She took a deep breath as her equilibrium adjusted and then padded around Wyatt as silently as possible. She used her good arm to open the door and found Rufus pacing with a sobbing Liv in the hallway.

Rufus looked startled at her appearance but his expression quickly gave way to a smile.

"You're awake," he stated with clear relief.

"How long was I out?" Lucy asked with a furrowed brow.

"Just a day," He answered. "The doctors were afraid you might be out for much longer than that."

At the sound of her voice Liv's head lifted from Rufus' shoulder and she rubbed her tear stained cheeks with her small hands. She blinked at Lucy for a moment and then began to cry again, with both arms outstretched toward her.

Both Rufus and Lucy glanced down at her wounded arm before giving Liv a guilt ridden looks.

"I can't, baby," Lucy said in a voice that sounded raw and hoarse. She desperately wanted to take her from Rufus, but there was no way she could hold her. Not while she felt as though she might pass out and had one bad arm.

Liv only cried harder and reached further in response.

"She's been worried about you," Rufus admitted. "She didn't really know what was happening but she knew she hadn't seen you in a while."

Lucy's heart was actively breaking. One mother had already disappeared on her. Of course, she worried about Lucy going missing too. Lucy wavered on her feet and Rufus reached out an instinctive arm to steady her.

"You should go back to bed," Rufus said worriedly.

"I'm fine," Lucy replied. She wasn't. Not completely. They both knew it.

"Lucy," Rufus said with a dry chuckle. "You're a terrible liar."

Her eyes landed on Liv's reaching arms and devastated face before she replied to him again. "I can't go back in there without her."

"You're supposed to be taking it easy," Rufus warned.

"Look at her, Rufus," Lucy said as she pointed at Liv. "You either bring her in here where I can hold her with one arm or you let me stay out here with you. Those are the options. Pick one."

He sighed and nodded. He knew there was no changing Lucy's mind when she was determined to do something. "Fine, but if Wyatt asks you threatened my life."

She chuckled at him. "Deal."

Rufus followed her into the room as Liv's crying eased into sniffles. Knowing that Lucy wasn't going to disappear without her again seemed to soothe her. She kept her watery eyes focused on Lucy as she settled back into her bed.

Rufus pressed a finger to his lips and turned Liv so she could see Wyatt sitting in the chair beside the bed.

"Daddy sleeping?" She asked in a loud whisper.

Lucy nodded at her and then motioned to Rufus with her uninjured arm. "Can you set her down here next to me?"

Rufus did as she asked and then adjusted the pillows behind Lucy without her even having to ask. It was more comfortable to sit up with Liv tucked into her side than it would have been to lay down. Once that was done, Rufus took the extra chair in the corner of the room.

Lucy wrapped her uninjured arm around Liv's waist to keep her away from the edge of the bed and then smiled down at her.

"I'm okay, little one. See?"

Liv looked doubtful and reached a soft touch over to Lucy's gauze covered shoulder. "Lucy, ouchie?"

She nodded and pressed a kiss to Liv's head. "Big ouchie."

"Big bandaid," Rufus added with a light laugh.

"Silly Ruf," Liv said with a shake of her head. She turned to Lucy with a serious face. "Ruf silly, Lucy."

The ache in her arm dulled as a laugh bubbled it's way up her throat. "Very silly."

Liv tucked herself into Lucy's side and then met her eyes with a look so full of worry that it threatened to break Lucy in two.

"Lucy stay?" Liv asked. "Lucy not go?"

"Lucy stay," she answered as she pressed her cheek against Liv's hair. "Lucy will _never_ go. Okay? _Never_."

Liv looked happy with that answer and relaxed. She leaned back and burrowed her face in Lucy's neck. Her eyes drifted closed and her breathing deepened. It seemed now that she knew Lucy was okay and wasn't planning to leave her anytime soon, she was willing to rest. Would there ever come a day where Liv didn't worry they would leave her? She hoped so. Liv was still a baby and far too young to live with that fear for the rest of her life.

"Man, does that kid ever love you," Rufus said observantly as he watched the toddler sleep. "I tried for hours to get her to go to sleep. One brief moment with you and it happens just like that."

"I have that effect on people," Lucy deadpanned. "I'm a professor, after all. Boring lectures are my specialty."

Rufus chuckled at her and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's what it is. When are you gonna realize just how great you actually are?"

"If I'm great," Lucy told him as she stifled a yawn. "It's only because I'm surrounded by others who make me great."

"You deflect compliments like Wonder Woman deflects bullets," Rufus told her with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, well, everybody has to have a thing they're good at, right? I guess that's mine."

"Oh, please, _please_ , tell me that's not the only thing you think you're good at," he said with a shake of his head. "You're Sarah freaking Connor, Lucy. A badass and a superhero and a force to be reckoned with. You've even got the bullet wound to prove it."

She felt sleep overtaking her again as she replied. "I'm sure that would be compliment I could deflect if I understood it. But I have no idea who Sarah Connor is so I'll have to let that one slide."

Rufus' bright laughter surrounded her as her eyes closed and exhaustion took over. Her love for her makeshift family acted as a soothing balm over the pain in her wound. She had Liv next to her, and Wyatt and Rufus on either side. With the three of them in her life, recovery would be easy.

* * *

It was nearly a week later, and Lucy was healing as expected. Wyatt still wasn't over the image of Jessica's gun firing in Lucy's direction. He could feel the terror of seeing her knees buckle as she slumped to the ground like it was yesterday. Luckily, he'd gotten a shot off on Jessica that would leave her recovering at least as long as Lucy. For the first time, Jessica seemed to clearly target Lucy. He couldn't explain it and he doubted it was a rational thought, but it seemed to him like Jessica was determined Liv would never have a mother.

It was ridiculous because Jessica didn't even know he had Liv, but there it was. It lingered in his mind all week. Lucy was Liv's mother. They all knew it, though no one had used the label out loud. It was a sickening sort of kismet to think that Jessica had unknowingly targeted the adoptive mother of the child she gave up.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was that Lucy was alive and well and there with him. With _them_. He needed to count Liv in that role call now. After a few hours of seeing him, but no Lucy, Liv had been inconsolable. It was unfortunately a natural assumption for her that Lucy was gone for good. One mother already left so who's to say a second wouldn't do the same? No, after that reaction, it was clear that Liv needed Lucy just as much as Wyatt did. So, what mattered was that Lucy came home to _them_.

They were back to their normal routine. Wyatt woke up first, followed by Liv. These days there was a fifty-fifty chance that Liv would opt to be moved to the bed with Lucy. Since seeing her hurt, Liv had been glued to Lucy's side. Today, Liv reached for him as she set up in her bed and didn't let him go.

"I help cook," she whispered, or tried to. She didn't really know how.

He nodded and carried her out of the room toward the kitchen. He let her dump a few ingredients into the bowl while he stirred the pancake batter and then put her in her booster seat and tucked her close to the table. Once the pancakes and bacon were done Liv reached for him again. His brow furrowed at her as he moved the chair and unfastened her from the seat.

"What's up, babygirl?"

She glanced back down the hall toward the bedroom and he knew exactly what she wanted.

He chuckled and lifted her, holding her against his side. "You want Lucy to eat with us?"

He usually made Lucy her own breakfast once she woke up, but it seemed Liv was no longer happy with that arrangement. He walked them back toward the bedroom and set Liv down on the floor once the door was closed behind him. She walked over to the bed and struggled to climb on top of it. He smirked and gave her a small boost with a gentle hand lifting her bottom. Once she was on the bed she crawled until she was lying on her side face to face with Lucy.

"Breakfast," she said loudly.

Lucy started slightly but her face softened when she opened her eyes and found Liv less than an inch away from her. "Well, good morning to you too," Lucy said with a bleary laugh.

"Morning, Mama."

Both he and Lucy sucked in a breath in perfect unison. Lucy was instantly awake. Her eyes flew to his with a silent question. Did he put Liv up to it? Wyatt's eyes widened and he shook his head, holding his hands up in surrender. No, he didn't. That was all Liv. With that question answered Lucy's eyes began to water and a joyful smile fluttered slowly across her face. She brought a hand up and pressed it to her lips and she swallowed back tears.

"Morning, baby," Lucy said in a voice thick with emotions as her hand moved from her lips to skim across Liv's cheek.

"Up, Mama. Breakfast!" Liv declared. Lucy ignored Liv's request and pulled her into her chest instead. Liv giggled as Lucy's hands tickled her sides. "No, play, Mama! Eat!"

Lucy laughed brightly and shook her head. "Nope. _Mama_ wants to play _first_ then eat."

Liv was trapped against Lucy but beaming and laughing loudly as she tried to escape. "Daddy, help!"

"Oh no, no way. I've got you now and I plan on keeping you," Lucy told her as she pressed her lips against Liv's head and let a few joyful tears fall down her cheeks.

Wyatt felt his throat tighten at the sight of a teary Lucy embracing Liv and peppering her with little kisses. She kissed all over Liv's face and hair and neck while Liv cackled wildly. It wasn't so difficult anymore, he thought, to accept the happiness life had granted him. He could be perfectly happy for the rest of his life just watching _them_. If they were happy so was he. It didn't terrify him to let other people define his world, not anymore. This bunker - this _family_ \- defined him. _His girls_ defined him. Acknowledging the firm hold these two women had on him brought an overwhelming sense of peace to his guilt-weary heart.

It was time to let himself enjoy his life. It was time to stop living in the shadow of war and let in the light. He would win this war _for them_ and _because of them_. Rittenhouse would be defeated. Where there was once doubt now there was none because he realized…

Rittenhouse didn't have what he had. They would never know what he felt. They were fighting for a clinical victory and he was fighting for a human one. He had more reason to fight than they ever would.

He had a _family_. A god honest unconditional _family_. There was no telling where he would be without them and he _refused_ to find out.

* * *

I may not always love you

But long as there are stars above you

You never need to doubt it

I'll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I'd be without you

-"God Only Knows", The Beach Boys


End file.
